


Loverbug

by axolotlKitten



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Cell Has A Sweet Spot, Cell Needs More Fluff, Events Take Place Shortly After Tournament of Power Arc, F/M, Looot's of Eventual Drama, Lot's of fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible Eventual Smut, Post-Cell Games Saga, Probable Subliminal TFS References, Reader Is Human Female, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, The Author Regrets Nothing, You Like to Push His Buttons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-07-10 22:03:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 49,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15958454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/axolotlKitten/pseuds/axolotlKitten
Summary: There is seriously not enough Cell/Reader, let alone fluff fics of the guy. I just want a casual romance with the handsome bugbot, so I set out to deliver it myself. Probably gonna be a little slow, but I want to give an authentic cheesy /reader story. Gonna try for two updates a week, and we'll see how that lasts before life and stuff comes knocking! ^^ Regardless, thanks for checking out this fic anyway, and I hope you enjoy it!





	1. Lost In the Rain

        You felt the tender embrace of the dark consume you. You felt your body slowly come to peace, and you heard nothing but voices echo into faint slurs. All became serene.

 

        “Ah-HEM!”

        You jolted from your tranquil stupor, and gave a few drowsy blinks.

        “Ah… huh?” you lightly mumbled, looking up. Your biology professor stood before you, tapping his foot impatiently.

        “Ms. (y/l/n), if you continue to fall asleep in my class, I’ll have no choice but to have you withdrawn!” your professor threatened, adjusted his glasses to the bridge of his nose. He proceeded to give you an annoyed glare, with the accompanying stares and giggles of other students.

        “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night, I was busying studying for other classes.” you tried to explain.

        Well, that wasn’t entirely true, unless by studying, you meant getting watching movies by yourself late at night in your apartment.

        “No more excuses, just start paying attention from now on, or the consequences stand!” he barked, before heading back towards the front, and resuming his lecture.

        Somehow, you managed to keep your eyes open, but it was a real struggle. Honestly, you weren’t sure why you got drunk by yourself sometimes. It’s not like you were very depressed or lonely. You just enjoyed isolated inebriation, and furthermore, you felt it was safer anyways. Party scenes weren’t really your thing, or rather, what you were invited to anyway. Maybe making more friends should be a priority. Maybe next semester?

        Once the professor released the class, you were quick to leave. You hated the lecture hall in all its dreary glory. You opted to get a hot coffee from the college coffee shop and head home. Ahh, how you loved buttery warm lattes.

        Walking towards your car, you noticed your sky was rather overcast, with a few raindrops already descending. The looming downpour hastened your pace. After a few minutes of driving, the occasional raindrops turned into a heavy storm. That’s just what you needed, to drive in a hell of a spontaneous thunderstorm. Before you could make it to the main road that lead you to the city, a bright flash had you slamming on your brakes, and you squeezed your eyes closed. You heard cracking, and a loud thud that forced your eyes back open.

        “Oh… great…” you sighed nervously, as an old tree had been knocked down, and completely barricaded you off from where you were going. Thankfully, nobody was behind you yet, so you reversed off to the side, and turned back around. You figured the college would be locked down long before the storm dissipated, so you decided to keep driving the direction you were going, which all you knew lead to the narrow back roads. Perhaps you could find an alternative route that way back home.

 

        After about an hour of trying to navigate desolate roads in the ever powerful downpour, you were ready to throw in the towel. It didn’t help that now, it was about dusk, and it would be getting even darker than it was. You sighed annoyed, getting extremely frustrated with your situation. All you could really do was keep driving.

        As you continued down an unknown dirt road, a tall figure starting staggering from the bushes out in front of you. You were forced to slam into your brakes as not to hit it. You were able to make out an almost human face, squinting his eyes at your headlights. You stared back at him in awe, the realization of who this was leaving a horrible pit in your stomach. This was Cell, or rather, Perfect Cell, the entity who hosted a tournament all those years ago that held the fate of the world at stake. 

        He staggered a bit, his eyes adjusting past the bright lights, and he glared daggers into yours. You were frozen. What were you to do now? Wasn’t he dead? What was going on?

        He opened his mouth as if to say something, but immediately grunted and growled, before falling before your car. You were shaken from your paralyzed state once he disappeared below, and you put your car in park. You really needed to figure out what to do now.

        “Ok, he seems hurt, like really hurt, maybe I can just drag him out of the way? He might be heavy… would it be better to call the cops?” you thought out loud to yourself, and paused. That’s right, you had no idea where you even were, so how the hell were cops supposed to find you? You sighed, realizing you were on your own. With all your courage mustered, you stepped out of your car, the rain pelting you relentlessly. You crept your way to the front of your car, and peered at his fallen body. His breathing was coarse, and he was barely able to keep an eye open and locked on you.

        You cautiously tried to roll him over from his stomach to his back, and he made no attempt to resist, though it didn’t change the fact that that alone was a struggle. Once on his back, he growled lowly, startling you.

        “Wh-what are you doing?” he spat at you, having a hard time just speaking.

        “I, er, getting you out of the way” you replied, trying to keep your composure.

        “Tch- you have  _ some  _ nerve to be handling my body like this. If I could, I would snap your spine…” he threatened. With that, he weakly lifted his left arm, his palm facing you. You could feel the static and pop of electricity generating, and you meekly staggered back. Before much of anything happened, he snarled again, his arm dropping.  “How fortunate for your sorry life… I can’t muster enough energy to obliterate you…” he growled, frustrated with his current inabilities. You felt slightly more at ease, knowing he couldn’t do much harm to you, but you were still weary from his attempt.

        “I-I just need you off the road, I need to get by…” you tried to explain, but he quickly cut you off.

        “Where are you even going? In the middle of nowhere like this?” he questioned, his tone carrying more suspicion than threat now.

        “Uh, well I’m trying to get home… my original route got obstructed, and basically I’m lost now” you sighed, kneeling down next him.

        He glared at you for a moment before closing his eyes, as if contemplating. “Where do you live?” he asked, and you arched your brow at him, unsure if you should really tell this guy your residence.

        “May I ask why you want to know?”

        “You insolent fool, I asked you something, and I demand an answer-!” he started snarling at you, before his tantrum was cut short by a violent cough. You stared at him for a moment before getting a little confident. Maybe too confident for your own good.

        “Well by the looks of it, I have the advantage here, so with all due respect, I’d like to know why you want to know where I live?” you retorted.

        He narrowed his eyes at you, before giving a soft chuckle.  “Ahh, now that’s amusing, you having advantage over  _ me _ ? I know most humans are ridiculously lacking in intelligence, but this is a new tier all together!”

        You gave a small frown, and crossed your arms. Somehow, despite being hardly able to function, aside from smart remarks, he still intimidated you. You chose to keep silent less he finds good health and remembers your snark. Him in his prime wasn’t something you wanted to tango with.

        “If you really need to know, I could easily figure out how to get you on your way. I know this location rather well since I’ve resided here for… awhile. However, I need you to get me there as well. I’m rather in need of somewhere to lay low” he explained.

        You blinked for a moment. No way. There was no chance you were bringing him home with you.  “No offense, but I’d rather not have you in my home. You don’t exactly have the best rep going on…”

        He smiled at that, almost as if it was a compliment. “So you know who I am?” he mused.

        “Who doesn’t? You threatened the entire population of our planet.”

        “Hmm, fair point. Regardless, it’s kind of heartwarming to know Earth has not forgotten me. I’m still viewed as a formidable force to be reckoned with!” he gloated.

        “Well if your done bragging about attempted planetary genocide, I’d like to decline your offer. I’ll find my way back home… eventually” you decided, and you rose from your knees. Before you could even walk away, you felt a tight grip around your ankle. You looked down to see those daggers of magenta eyes glaring at you.

        “How exactly do you plan to find your way back? By driving aimlessly until you find yourself deeper in the unknown?” he questioned.

        “Yeah, if that's what it takes, I guess. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to drag you off the road and go.”

        You tried to pull away from his grip, but failed miserably. Despite his severely weakened state, he was still pretty strong.

        “Seriously? You’re going to pass this up?” he growled.

        “Mhm, there’s no way you’re staying in my home.”

        “Why?”

        You blinked down at him.

        “Why? You really want the answer to “why?”” you snorted. His eyes narrowed in frustration at you.

        “Yes. I gave you a perfectly sound deal, and you reject it. Explain!” he demanded.

        “You’re  _ Cell _ , the monster that hosted a tournament that decided whether or not you destroy Earth! You can’t really expect me to just be so eager to accept an offer like that from  _ you _ !”

        “Well, I didn’t expect  _ delight _ ” he muttered. “I expected gratefulness for my mercy.”

        You giggled a bit, “Mercy? From what? You laying in the road?”

        He groaned quietly to himself, before retorting.  “It is insufferable, your lack of respect and terror. You’re saying all this to  _ me _ , knowing full well that I could easily destroy you. If I hadn’t been wounded earlier…” he trails off, a sadistic smile creeping upon his face, “Ohh, I could only imagine the horrors I’d  _ scar _ you with!”

        He laughed maniacally, before having to choke up a rugged cough. You weren’t really sure what to do. Clearly, this was going nowhere, or at least, not in your favor. He wouldn’t let you leave, and even if somehow you convinced him to let you move him out of your way so you could leave, you were sure he’d hunt you down when he could. Judging by his history, he would find joy in petty revenge. An idea popped into your head, and though it wasn’t one you were comfortable with, it was the best bet you figured you’d have.

        “Alright, you can stay with me, but one condition” you sighed.

        He looked slightly taken aback that you even complied, but it twisted to confusion.

        “You're changing the terms of our deal?” he questioned.

        “Yes, but one I think you can easily manage. If you can navigate me home, you can stay as long as you need, but during that time, you don’t kill me, my pet, or anyone else.”

        “Hmm, perhaps you’re slightly more intelligent than what I first concluded. Barely.” he spat. It was a backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless. He gazed skyward into the dark clouds, rain pelting all around. He closed his eyes and gave an annoyed, defeated sigh.

        “Fine” he growled deeply. The two of you remained there for a moment, til you broke the awkward silence.

        “So… how exactly am I getting you into my car? I can barely move you, let alone get you in the car?” you asked.

        “Just start lifting and I’ll do what I can” he instructed, his voice seeming more quiet and… less-murdery.

        You did just that, your legs shaking under his weight, as you tried to lift his torso from behind. He bent his legs, and attempted to lift himself, growling and snarling the whole way up. He was now in a standing position, but you could tell he was having a real struggle just doing that.

        “Go ahead and, uh, lean on me, I can walk you over” you insisted, trying to be helpful.

        He quietly complied, and lent some of his weight on you, his right arm wrapping weakly over your shoulders. You could tell he was resisting some, but he was still quite heavy. You slowly made your way to your car with him.

        “Ok, just lean on my car for a moment, I’m gonna put the back seats down and have you get in from the back. Uh… try not to dent it…” you said.

        He gave an annoyed glare at you, “Excuse me?” he spat. 

        You didn’t reply, and continued to do as you said you would. Once the seats were down, you went back and open the back door. You knew he was rather large, but you hoped he could still fit. Your car wasn’t exactly an SUV.

        “Okay” you huffed, having him lean back on you again as you guided him around the back. You tried to escort him in, and somehow, he managed to fit. Well, by bending his knees to chest and being in the most uncomfortable fetal position you could image. His giant wings and crown didn’t aid him either. Closing the back door, you went back to the driver seat, and started the car. You gazed back at him before driving.

        “You, uh, cozy?”

        “What do you think?”

        “Sorry… but to be fair you insisted.”

        No response.

        “Uhm, alright then, my address is (y/a), do you think you could get us there?”

        He shifted his position slowly and weakly as to be able to face out the windshield. It was rather dark by now, but the storm had somewhat lifted to calm rain with the occasional thunder. You weren’t exactly sure how he was going to figure this out, but you hoped.

        “Just keep going straight, and go right on the second turn.”

        “Uh, ok, I trust you, and it’s kinda scary…” you sighed, before driving.

        “Why thank you, it means everything to me to hear you say that” he mused sarcastically. You kept quiet, and continued driving in the dark, letting him navigate you home.


	2. Laundry and Groceries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Cell coming around to slice of life chores.

        After an hour of driving roads unfamiliar to you, you were finally in part of the city, and from then on you were familiar with where you were going. You glanced back, his head still aimed forward, peering quietly out the window.

        “Hey, uh, if you don’t mind, I know where to go from here now. Could you keep your head down now?”

        “Why?”

        “Well, we’re in the city now, and if someone notices you, we might have problems.”

        He gave a soft laugh, “And what? Are they going to call the “law” to kill me?”

        “You’ll probably be fine in all honesty… unless they contact the guys who defeated you way back when.” You felt the air get tense, and felt his cold stare burn into the back of your head, and you chose not to even meet his gaze.

        “There’s no doubt something definitely would happen to me…” you continued, hoping it would pull away from his sour attitude towards the Z warriors. “I don’t know if I’ll be arrested for harboring you, or killed… I don’t know” you sighed, making yourself a little more paranoid of the consequences than you initially even considered.

        “Hmph, bite your tongue next time…” he hissed, before laying his head back down out of sight. You gave a relieved sigh, and drove through the city lights, cars bustling around you.

 

        You finally arrived home, and to your surprise, Cell had recouped somewhat from his initial injuries. He still staggered when he walked, but he no longer needed your aid. Thankfully, nobody was hanging around outside your apartment, so it wasn’t too hard to get him inside unnoticed. As you opened the door, your pet cat eagerly came to greet you, but as soon as Cell stepped foot inside, your cat hissed and ran off somewhere in the house. He blinked for a moment and gave a soft smile.

        “Your “pet” has more respect for my power than even you. How curious that it may be smarter than you, yet it is considered inferior.”

        “Um, well he does that to every stranger I’ve let in, so I wouldn’t be too proud that you spooked my cat.”

        He looked around your home unimpressed with it. To be fair, not even a person of low standards would rate it above average. But, home was home, and you couldn’t really afford a better place yet. Did he even have a concept of interior design?

        You checked the time on your phone. 11:43.

        “Jeez, alright, I have class tomorrow morning, so I really need to get to bed. Um… I guess you can sleep on the couch? It’s probably the only furniture I have that you could comfortably fit on” you suggested. He focused his gaze on your sectional, and gave a smirk.

        “I don’t need sleep, you know. I’m designed for a purpose, and sleep does not aid me. Sleep is for the weak.”

        You cringed lightly to hear him say that phrase, and you sighed.

        “Well, it’s there for you if you need it, I guess” you yawned. “Help yourself to the pantry, it’s not much, but hopefully it’s enough to tide you over til I get groceries tomorrow.”

        He needn’t another invitation, as he silently made his way to your kitchen. You felt the force of sleep call your name, and chose to let him be. You trusted enough he would let you sleep without strangling you, or your cat, or anyone else. He agreed to your deal, and you would like to hope that if not a mass murderer, a man of his words. Or a bug of his words, rather.

        Pulling the sheets over, your body wasted no time in falling asleep once you were comfortable.

 

        Your alarm shook you from your sweet, sleep, and you yawned. You got ready as per any other day, and you walked into your living room. You jumped a bit, slightly startled to see Cell on your couch, sleeping away. A part of you were hoping it was just some strange dream, but no, he was still here. You then rolled your eyes, remembering his “sleep is for the weak” tangent.

        “Alright, tough guy...” you whispered quietly to yourself, before heading to your closet and coming back with a blanket. You weren’t sure if he needed it or not, but you cautiously rested it over him. He hardly moved an inch. He was in a deep, heavy slumber. It made you wonder how often he ever did sleep, and perhaps this is was only natural. With that, you left the living room, and checked your pantry.

        Empty. Completely void of anything, just empty bags and boxes replaced back where they were. Frozen meat packages, egg cartons, bags of sugar, everything. Empty. Except for your carton of ice coffee. The cap was left off next to it, which indicated he had tried it. You chuckled a little, noting it as a conversation to have later.

        Actually, you needed to talk a lot about the situation going on with him. It dawned on you that you should probably leave him a note of sorts. Getting your pen and notecard, you began to write.

        “Hey, thanks for helping yourself to literally everything but the ice coffee. Anyways, I’ll be back probably around 6. While you’re here, try to avoid going outside or answering the door to anyone. If you’re laying low, you really don’t need to stir anything up. Take care and find something to do inside, please.

        “P.S. Could you maybe shower? You’re a little dirty from whatever happened last night. I’ll clean the couch if you could perhaps just put the blanket in the wash machine? Thanks!”

        You figured he could do something if he was staying, perhaps getting him to do some laundry would suffice. You laughed at the idea of the big, bad Cell, folding your clothes. With that, you’re off.

 

        Class went by as usual, and as you were walking out the doors, one of your long time friends called out to you. You turned to see him catch up.

        “Oh, hey Jax, haven’t seen you in a while, what’s up?”

        “Yeah, long time no see! I’m kind of recruiting people for an upcoming party, and I thought you’d maybe wanna go? It’s gonna be wild!” he exclaimed.

        “Uh, I don’t know, Jax. I’m kind of uh, dogsitting?” you lied. No way you were about to explain the "harboring-of-a-former-mass-murderer" to him.

        “Aww, can I come over and see it?” he asked.

        “Uhh, you probably shouldn’t… The, uh, dog, is kinda hostile. It knows me enough not to bite me, but it still gets a little scary around me. I could only imagine if I let a stranger come to see it…”

        With that, he was convinced. “Ah, I see. Well, hopefully he doesn’t eat your cat while you’re partying with us, right?”

        You sighed, back to square one you were. “Jax, I have to-”

        “It’s this Saturday, and everyone there is so nice! You'll fit right in and be at home, I swear!” he pleaded.

        You gave a heavy, drawn out sigh. “Okay, okay, I’ll go, but if I won’t stay for the whole thing, okay? I really can’t let him be home by himself for too long.”

        “Well, that’s fair. Besides, if you just showed up, it would mean the world to us all!” he said with a playful wink. “Anyways, it starts at 6, so pin the date!”

        You nodded with a smile, and with that, he was running off, trying to catch up to some other guy he was friends with.

        Walking out, you headed to your car, and drove for the grocery store. It was a miracle how quickly the fallen tree had been removed from the college road, and you were thankful. There was a fat chance you could memorize Cell’s directions, and would be lost again without a former genocidal being to help you home.

        While at the store, you pretty much had to get extra of everything. Extra extra. Not only were you entirely depleted, but your supply would be cut short. You wouldn’t be able to afford this forever, so you added Cell’s eating habits to the list of much needed conversations to have.

        Perhaps, he would appreciate four packages of 16 oz steaks, and he would take it into consideration of changing a bit to accommodate your budget.

 

        You opened the door to your unit, and the overwhelming smell of detergent hit you.

        “Cell?” you called out, closing your door and dropping your groceries to the floor. You were greeted with silence, and you made your way to your laundry room. You walked in at the sight of him firmly holding your washer’s lid shut, despite the immense amount of foam seeping out from the crevices of it. Under his grasp, it was violently shaking, and he didn’t seem bothered at all by it. You panicked and ran over, leaning over your washer to turn the thing off. It stopped shaking, and after the excess foam emerged, it stopped seeping out.

        You sighed in relief and glared at the foam covered floor, groaning at the mess you’d have to clean. At least, it looked like he showered?

        “Cell, how much did you put in for the one blanket?” you asked, gazing up at him.

        “You didn’t tell me how much, so all of it. If you’ve dedicated that blanket to me, it will be spotless. It must be perfectly clean, which is why I decided the entire jug would suffice.”

        You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. To be fair, this was kinda your fault. You shouldn’t have assumed he’d know better. When ever has this guy tried to use a washing machine.

        “Alright, but next time, look” you instructed, pointing inside the cap, he crossed his arms, glaring into it. “There’s these bars that determine how much you need per load size. For _one_ blanket, you only need to fill it to the first bar, then pour what's in the cap into the machine. Okay?”

        He scoffed, “That minuscule amount is enough? Seriously?”

        “Yes, yes it is. It’s more than capable of cleaning one blanket.” 

        He seemed somewhat doubtful of your explanation, but gave a small confirming grunt. 

        “Well then, next you're going to tell me I only need one of these to dry it” he kidded with a chuckle, holding up a single dryer sheet.

        “Um, yeah?”

        He laughed even harder, going on til he noticed you weren’t joking. He paused and glanced at it.

        “You’re serious, hm?”

        You nodded.

        “Well…” he began, stopping to open the lid, and pull the dense blanket from inside, ignoring the foam sticking to his arms, “You do it.”

        He carelessly, let the heavy, saturated blanket drop before you. You staggered, unprepared to catch it, but catching it nonetheless. He had his hands on his hips, smiling down at you. It was as if he was trying to catch you in some sort of bluff, and he wanted you to prove it.

        You blinked, before pushing the thing inside the dryer, and tossing a single dryer sheet inside with it. You closed the door, set the cycle, and turned it on. He observed the machine work for a moment, before walking around you and leaving you alone in the room with the foam mess. You sighed, but before you could get to cleaning, you heard him start rummaging through your bags.

        “Ah, wait Cell!” you called out, rushing to him. He was knelt over your bag of steaks, and turned to look at you with a smile.

        “This is for me? How very considerate of you” he mused, before effortlessly ripping open one of the packages, and eating the thing in the blink of an eye. You were stunned out how quick the mass of meat was gone. He immediately went for the second package, forcing you out of your awe, and stopping him again.

        “Cell, you really need to slow down! I can’t afford to fill my pantry everyday with you devouring everything in a flash!” you exclaimed. He ignored you, sucking his fingers clean of the residual blood from his second helping. He calmly went for thirds.

        “Cell!” you yelled again, stomping forward to stop him. You reached past him to grab the bag. A swift grip of your arm stopped you, and you were pulled down to meet his burning gaze. He seemed to be scanning your face, his eyes shifting around, til the relocked with yours.

        “I need this” he stated coolly, before releasing his grip. You stumbled a bit from it, catching yourself on your hands and knees beside him. He eyed you for a moment before continuing to eat the third raw steak. Resting on your knees next to him, you frowned.

        “Why?” you asked.

        “The more I consume, the stronger I can become.”

        “Why do you need to become stronger right now?”

        “So I can defeat Son Goku, his son, and all his puny allies.”

        “You don’t mean, _kill_ , do you?” you asked, becoming very concerned.

        He paused and looked directly ahead, avoiding your stare. He remained unnaturally silent for a while, and it made the atmosphere tense. You were becoming increasingly upset.

        “Cell, our deal we made… you’re not planning to-”

        “I’m not going back on our deal. As long as I am here, I’m bound not to kill, which I can manage. But our deal carries no more weight once I find I’m strong enough to leave. Strong enough to decimate them all. I will have carried out my end of the bargain, and be free to do as I please."

        You felt a pit in your stomach, knowing that before long, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. You gazed downward, starting to have feelings of regret for taking him in. You felt claws gently lift your chin upward. He was smiling at you.

        “Fear not, you will be spared. To show my gratitude for granting me hospitality in a time of vulnerability, you’ll keep your life.”

        You still held your worried, concerned gaze, causing his smile to fall flat.

        “Aren’t you _delighted_ at that?”

        “Cell, I don’t want you to kill anybody…” you managed to choke out, hoping this wouldn’t piss him off bad enough. He released your chin and continued to glare at you.

        “What if… what if you could just defeat them, but spare them? Just prove yourself strong enough and leave it like that. Is that asking too much?”

        “Far too much” he muttered coldly. “They humiliated me. They somehow managed to even destroy me. I can’t comprehend how, I mean, I am the most perfect being aren’t I?!” His gaze was no longer on you, he was facing forwards, growing more and more angry in his rant.

        “It’s unforgivable, and beyond simply proving myself strongest anymore. I want revenge, no, I NEED revenge! I _need_ this more than anything! It’s the only way I can truly find solace!” His fists clenched. The energy in the room was heavily tense, you could almost feel static charging. You closed your eyes and sighed. Mustering all your courage, you jerked your hand forward, grabbing some groceries, including the last raw steak, and taking them to the kitchen. Cell’s glare turned sharp to you.

        “What are y-?!”

        “Putting this stuff away now. I don’t care what you do after you leave, but until then, my house, my rules. Slow. Down” you demanded quietly, putting things where they belonged.

        Cell stood up and marched to you, and you swear his feet... squeaked? Now was probably a bad time to ask.

        “You’re going to order _me_ , around?” he sneered, easily towering over you. You didn’t dare look, because you knew you’d be overcome with fear and cave to him if you did. It was hard enough to keep a brave face, you didn’t want your front to crumble at his intimidating sight.

        “Mhm. Now, please help me put away groceries. If you don’t want to do that, find something else to do” you retorted bitterly, walking around him to grab the next batch of bags you could carry. He kept quiet, yet tense, glaring at you as you continued. You felt the atmosphere ease up a little bit to your surprise, and he sulkily walked back to the couch and sat there. A wave of relief washed over you.

 

        After all the groceries were put up, you sat on the shorter end of the sectional, giving him some space. You turned your TV on, and his eyes flitted upwards to the screen.

        “A movie might help both of us relax…” you quietly suggested, browsing through your movie list.

        “Hmph.” With that, he leaned back, crossing his arms like an angry child.

        Well, it wasn’t a no. You were curious if he’d be interested in a movie like Godzilla. Monster movies could very well be his thing, couldn’t they?

        Shortly after the airport scene, you were finding yourself fealing rather drowsy and sleepy. You glanced over at Cell, who seemed to be rather engaged. He was still holding his pissed off pose, but his face read entirely different. You faced back towards the screen, and felt the tender embrace of sleep confine you.

 

        You woke up to find yourself tucked in your own bed, and looked around. Upon your nightstand, was a note. You curiously picked it up and read it.

        “Since this is your desired method of communication when one is resting, I will participate. You fell asleep during the movie, and I must admit, you missed the finale. It wasn’t terrible. Also, I’ve decided not to end this note with “thanks”, on account of my compliance to slow my rate of dining. You are welcome. That doesn’t change anything on behalf of my intentions once our deal is laid to rest.

        “Furthermore, I do consider it rude that you’ve yet to properly introduce yourself to me, but that aside, I already know your name. So, at this point, it doesn’t really matter. But still, I figured I should point out your ill-mannerisms for the next stranger you encounter. If you need me, I’ll be on the couch, seeing as I cannot leave.”

        You chuckled lightly, still upset with Cell’s unwillingness to change his motives, but if you could keep him at bay long enough, perhaps his efforts will be for naught again, or hell, he might even change his mind. That was a nice thought.

        You found him exactly where he said he’d be, currently watching Kong: Skull Island. He quickly turned off the TV, almost as if he were embarrassed. You raised a brow, and he furrowed his.

        “What?!” he snarled.

        You approached and sat beside him, a confused glare scrunched on his face. You extended a hand and smiled.

        “My name is (y/n), and it’s… alright to meet you.”

        He groaned and rolled his eyes, before crossing his arms and facing away. You couldn’t help but laugh a little. His company wasn’t the worst. At least, not terrible.


	3. Food Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's alternative name is "Cooking with a Perfect Cell." Also a liiittle bit of exposition.

        You got back home rather early today, and before you even opened your door. You heard the sound of...music? You quietly crept in to see Cell messing with your radio, stroking his chin as he curiously turned dials. He found a country station, and his face twisted to that of disgust.

        “What an appalling pain in the ear! Is this really considered desirable sound?!” he grunted.

        “Yeah, I can’t say I’m fan of it myself.”

        He flinched ever so slightly, completely dropping your radio. Thankfully it didn’t shatter, but you had a hunch it was probably broken. He glared at you.

        “Would you stop… doing that?!” he hissed.

        “Um… doing what?” you questioned, walking over to the couch and sitting.

        “You…” he paused, scanning his mind for a better word that didn’t insinuate you startled him, “... _intrude_ on me when my focus is completely entranced. It’s a rather cheap tactic!” he spat.

        “Sorry? I’m not trying to “intrude” or use a “cheap tactic.” I’m just trying to get in my unit.” Turning on the TV, you thought for a moment, remembering a few details from years ago about him. “Actually, wait, can’t you _sense_ me or something? Isn’t that a thing you’re capable of?”

        “Yes, I am quite capable of sensing your ki. You humans generally have a minimal amount, save for when you gain influxes of adrenaline. Even then, it’s typically dismissable to a creation with strengths like me.”

        “So, if I’m calm, and you’re distracted, I can sneak up on you?” you mused, folding your arms and contemplating.

        “... If it becomes intentional habit, I will not hesitate to bend our agreement” he threatened coldly, crossing his arms.

        “Alright, alright, I’ll try not to spook you, bug boy” you scoffed, idly flipping through channels.

        “You _don’t_ spoo- bug boy?! What the hell?” he took an offended pose.

        “Hmm?” you peered at him. He marched towards you and leaned over you, his face hovered above yours and his hands planted on his hips. You wished you could sink into your couch, but there was only so much you could distance yourself from him like this. You were almost on the verge of trembling, and it was worse that he wasn’t saying a damn thing. You had absolutely no idea what to do.

        Suddenly, he smirked, and started chuckling, leaning back up and sitting beside you, awkwardly shuffling his wings to get comfortable. “ _That’s_ a better tactic than exploiting divided attention” he mused, relaxing his head on his hand, looking to you.

        “That was you just trying to scare me?” you huffed, trying to ease yourself.

        “Mhm, I have numerous devices I use to instill fear” he bragged, “Though, rest assured, I will refrain from terrorizing you too much.”

        “Yeah, thanks… I think.”

        For the next few minutes, the two of you sat watching TV. Nothing notable was on, and you thought about everything you needed to talk to him about. You supposed a good place to start was how it all began.

        “So, real talk…” you quietly started. He peered at you from the corner of his eyes for a moment, and refocused to the TV, not bothering to say a word. “When I found you, or when you found me, or whatever that was… you were injured, what happened?”

        He remained silent for a moment, and slowly closed his eyes.

        “I came marching right up to Goku’s doorstep. I was resurrected, somehow, and I wanted to take full advantage of it.” His eyes opened and faced forward in that ever dramatic way he did. “However, things didn’t go according to plan. I initially just wanted to assassinate all of the Z fighters off one by one, in slow, wonderfully gruesome ways, but…” he trailed off for a moment, growling at his own recollections. “The rest of his friends arrived quicker than I anticipated, and after years of their training, I was no match. I… I didn’t even hold a candle up to them! I was defeated… and… with the remaining amount of strength I had left, I packed up my pride, used solar flare, and fled!” He gritted his teeth, his forced retreat clearly a heavy weight on his shoulders. “I decided that I wouldn’t let this chance go to waste… this revival… so I went into hiding, or rather, I tried. Not long after that initial scuffle, I was barely able to fly, so I landed in what I _thought_ were abandoned grounds. It was then you almost foolishly hit me with your car…” He paused for a moment, and smiled, glancing at you. “You should _really_ brush up on your driving skills, (y/n).”

        You blinked at him, his little joke lifting the tension his story had built. “Eh, you got me there...” you admitted with a small chuckle.

        He smiled at you for a moment, and it unnerved you how genuine it seemed. He slowly looked away, and refocused on the TV. Your eyes lit up for a moment.

        “Oh, another thing! When you ate _everything_ in my kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice you left the ice coffee alone. What’s that about?”

        “It was unpleasant” he said bitterly, crossing his arms again.

        “Really? I think it’s the best thing in the fridge!” you laughed.

        “How on Earth is that concoction of cream even close to desirable?” he questioned, giving you a stunned look.

        “Hey, you don’t get to judge me and my tastes! You eat steak raw from the package! If I were to do that, there’s a high chance I’d get myself sick!” you retorted.

        He squinted at you, before rolling his eyes. “I suppose my preferences are just too extreme for the likes of you.”

        “Actually, Cell, have you ever had a cooked steak? I’m willing to bet it tastes better than straight outta the package.”

        He gazed upward in thought. “Hmm, no, no I have not. Though, I’m not entirely fond of the concept of burnt food.”

        You thought for a moment and smiled “Then we’re having cooked steak for dinner tonight!”

        He stared at you for a moment, and sighed. “If that is your wish, then I suppose it won’t kill me if it won’t kill you.” You didn’t need another invitation, for on your way to the freezer you were.

        You decided some broccoli would be a good accompaniment, so you got started on them as well. While you were cooking, you hadn’t noticed til now that Cell was standing near and curiously observing.

        “Something on your mind?” you asked, turning the meat on its other side in your pan.

        “Just analyzing the process should I ever attempt it myself.”

        You almost dropped your tongs to the floor upon hearing that. He gave you a confused glare. “Ahaha… uh… you can leave the cooking to me… I’d rather not have you burn the complex down…” you nervously chuckled. He seemed slightly offended, and effortless pushed you gently to the side.

        “Nonsense! I could most definitely do this! Observe!” he declared, and took the tongs from your hands. He stood there for a long moment, staring at the cooking meat.

        “Uh, um, check the broccoli, please…” you quietly instructed, and he lifted the lid on the pot.

        “Yes, they are still here.” With that the lid was closed.

 

        The next hour, you were giving him cooking advice as you kept tabs on his work, telling him when to turn over the meat, stir the broccoli a little bit, and so forth. You allowed him to cut his share of the steak off for himself, which left you with a rather small portion, but you didn’t mind. You compensated with a bit more broccoli than your average serving was. You sat at the table with your meal, and scooted up. Before you took a bite, you noticed Cell was still in the kitchen, quite perplexed.

        “You, uh, gonna sit down and eat?” you asked, taking a bite of the steak.

        “Yes, I suppose… but it seems like a rather odd, unnecessary practice…” he muttered, taking a seat across from you. He had a bit of a struggle sitting down, considering the chair was a little small for him. You giggled a bit, earning one of those infamous glares. You didn’t need another warning to silence yourself, but you still smiled to yourself a bit as you ate. You gazed up again, and he still seemed confused. Before you could even ask, he answered.

        “The tools you’re using eat, are they necessary either? I mean, perhaps I am just finicky, but really stop and look at the big picture here” he began, leaning back in his chair, almost tumbling for a moment. “You burn your food, and if that’s how you humans must digest meats, I suppose I can come to some sort of understanding of that. But then, you go the extra mile to prepare a seated arrangement for said meal. Why bother waste time doing that as opposed to just eating it in there?” he questioned, gesturing to your kitchen. Before you could reply, he continued. “Furthermore, an extra _extra_ mile you manage to include, are those utensils!” he gestured to your fork in hand. You gave him a quizzical glance, which only prompted him to continue his rant.

        “Alright, observe” he stated, standing up with his steak in hand and setting it back in the cooling pan it had cooked in. “For this hypothetical, which is more sensical to me personally, imagine it’s fresh off the flame for your pathetic gut to handle. It’s burnt and then cooled enough to not destroy your insides. Now…” he paused, picking the meat back up from the pan, and quickly eating it away. You watched in awe, still impressed by how inhuman his ability to eat fast was. His eyes lightly lit up.

        “My God…” he trailed off, and began hastily cleaning his fingers with his mouth. You weren’t sure what was happening before your eyes.

        “That was… wow… I…” he could barely speak, and you picked up on what was going on.

        “That good “burnt”, was it?” you teased.

        “I just… didn’t expect so much flavor… usually I dine without considering the taste unless it’s just that terrible like your damned ice coffee… but this!” he chuckled, almost too happily.

        “Yeah well… that was the last one I had. You ate the other three raw, so we’re out now.”

        “Hmm, not quite...” he sneered, eyeballing your plate. You quickly wrapped your arms around your plate, defensive of your food.

        “Oh pal, I don’t care how creepy or powerful you are, you don’t come between a girl and her food!” you snapped, sticking your tongue out.

        “Please, what could you even possibly-” his eyes went wide as you quickly tried to stuff your piece into your mouth. It was impossible for you to reenact his ability to easily gorge himself, but nevertheless you tried. He went for you, but halted when you grabbed a fistful of broccoli and threw at him. He hardly reacted to it’s pathetic hits on him, and he watched it drop to the floor before looking back up at you.

        “Did you just… really do that?” he sneered, before smirking.

        You nodded, and decided to simply pull a bite from your steak and quickly swallow. You’d rather not choke to death over this.

        “Mhm! And I’ll keep assaulting you with broccoli until you back down!” you declared with pride.

        “I see… it’s on now, (y/n)...” he growled in a deep voice, before making lunging at you. You tried to dart backwards out of his way, but he easily managed to grab your wrist that clutched your steak like your life depended on it. You couldn’t pull away. He gave a wicked smile, and slowly opened his mouth for your steak. There was nothing you could do to stop him as he taunted you, taking his sweet time to take the bite. You didn’t want to drop it, because either he’d catch it, or it would hit the floor and you wouldn’t have it. It was a lose/lose/lose. You looked away defeated, and felt the meat cleaned from your grip. You were startled when he started to clean your fingers off, going one at a time. You felt your cheeks grow warm, but he didn’t seem to mind. Once finished, he released his grip, and you quickly pulled your hand to yourself, unsure what to think.

        “You sure didn’t put up quite the fight I was hoping for” he teased, crossing his arms and smirking down at you. It seemed he didn’t realize what he did looked anything more than a playful gesture. You forced a laugh, and decided not to hang onto the thought. Instead, you considered something else. Your home was rather boring, and you knew tomorrow you’d be leaving Cell here by himself to his own devices. Or rather, your devices. You kind of sympathized with him concurring to the rules you set for him if he were to stay. Thinking about things from his perspective, you’d probably hate it. You glanced up him, and he seemed to be studying your face similar to how he did before.

        “So, tomorrow night I’ll have plans, which means you’ll be home by yourself” you stated, and his smile seemed to fall flat. “I’m fully aware this place can be a bit stuffy, and well, if you can manage to keep that low profile, and not be seen, especially entering or leaving the complex, then I won’t keep you on lock down here.”

        He blinked for a moment, and his eyes shifted around, and began giving it serious thought.

        “That doesn’t mean you can still kill if you have intentions of coming back!” you quickly blurted. You hoped it would go without saying, but you didn’t want to leave it to chance.

        “Rest assured, that’s not my intent” he quietly mused, still gazing around.

        “Alright, well, I have a dining room to clean now…” you chuckled lightly, his attention reasserting itself to you. He crossed his arms and smiled, and before your eyes, the mess of broccoli rose. You glanced up at him, and he gave a soft shrug, as if he didn’t know what was happening, though his grin remained.

        “Ok…” you stated quietly, before grabbing the trash can. You used it to scoop the vegetables from where they hovered, though the occasional would intentionally lift out of reach for Cell's own amusement. Once all collected, you set the can down and glanced up to him. “So, uh, how did you-?”

        “The same way I managed to clean the laundry room. You’re welcome.”

        “Oh! I completely forgot about that mess!” you nervously chuckled. “Thanks, though! You honestly didn’t have to!”

        “Hm, you’re right. I didn’t, but if I am the epitome of perfection, I might as well carry myself with some degree of manner. A guest who cannot keep their surroundings… somewhat tidy…” he trailed off, resting his fingers to his chin, and giving a slightly malicious smile, “...are rather troublesome.”

        You blinked, unsure if you really wanted to know the hidden depth of his statement, so you kept quiet on it.

        “Oh, by the way, I’m not sure if you’ve slept since the other night, but I have spare pillow if you’d prefer that instead of the cushions?”

        “(Y/n), I’ve never slept in a house prior to the other night, much less with a pillow. As far as sleeping habits, my preferences aren’t going to be much.”

        “Okay, I see then” you replied, feeling kind of dumb now. “Well, if you want to give it a whirl, then by all means use it.”

        “The offer is appreciated, dear, but I won’t be sleeping tonight.”

        “Ah- wait, _dear?_ \- wait, what? Why not?” you stammered through your words.

        He chuckled, “Well, if I now have access to the world again, I might as well take advantage of the time. It’s getting rather dark now.”

        “Oh, okay then…” you replied, feeling kinda disappointed he was going to head out so soon. He proceeded to kneel just below eye level to you and he offered a smile.

        “Don’t miss me too much” he teased, before standing upright and slowly bringing two fingers to his forehead. “Ciao” he said with a wink, and before your eyes, he vanished. You blinked a few times, unsure what you had witnessed. You smiled lightly, having faith that he would stay true to his word. You really, really hoped anyway.


	4. Party Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The infamous party chapter of almost any fic, though this one has a nice ending.

        You woke up the next morning, giving a long drawn out yawn and stretch. After rubbing your eyes, your glanced to your nightstand. Nothing. A part of you were half hoping he would leave another note, but you didn’t mind. Him doing it once didn’t mean it would become habit.

        Upon entering the living room, you didn’t find him. Not in the dining room, or in the kitchen, or anywhere else in your unit. There was no sign of Cell at all. Hell, a surefire sign was how your cat was no longer hiding himself. He waltzed up to you with his fluffy tail high, and rubbed up on your legs, purring softly.

        “Well, I guess we have the day to ourselves for a while, huh, Pokey?” you chuckled, smiling down at your feline companion. Trusting that Cell would return when he felt like it, you decided to enjoy your day til you had to go to the party. You poured yourself some ice coffee, and popped open your laptop on the couch. Pokey rested quietly near your feet. Nothing new really occurred on your socials, but you indulged in the occasional tabloid, played your cheesy guilty pleasure games, and watched whatever video caught your attention.

        After a few hours of that, you figured you’d at least start getting ready for the party. It didn’t start for around four hours, but you were actually kinda bored by yourself. The last few days were admittedly kinda nice, despite the occasional fuss, and to have Cell suddenly vanish the way he did left a small void you didn’t realize you had.

        You showered, dried your hair, and did your makeup. You had a soft spot for occasions where you could play with makeup looks, as opposed to the casual look you always went for. You didn’t really know how big Jax’s shindig was supposed to be, but surely going all out wouldn’t hurt. You curled your hair, and found a nice outfit. By no means was it something that screamed elegant, but it was among your nicer wear of your wardrobe. You really liked it for what it was.

        You still had 2 hours, and Cell had yet to come back. Honestly, you really weren't sure when you should expect him back. For all you knew, it could 5 minutes, to 5 weeks. Being honest with yourself, you still didn’t know a whole lot about him. You decided not to think about it too much. Besides, you were prepared for a party, something you hadn’t participated in a long while. You just wanted to be able to relax and have fun.

 

        It was nearing dusk as you drove to Jax’s, and frankly, you were kind of excited. You didn’t get out as much as you’d like for the sake of hanging out. If you weren’t at college or getting basic groceries, you were always home. Doing nothing. You blasted the radio as you drove, listening to your favorite tunes. You smiled, determined to make tonight worthwhile.

        Arriving to Jax’s, you were kind of impressed by his house. You often forgot he was rather wealthy, or at least, his parents were. You’d think with all the spoiled treatment he was granted, he’d turn out a bit more pompous and pretentious. To your relief, he was just the opposite. For all the years you’d known him, he was very kind and generous, and only sought to bring joy to his friends.

        Outside on his patio were white fairy lights, illuminating the few guests that were already outside hanging out together. The all had bottles or solo cups in hand, and were having casual, light-hearted conversations. You could hear the music and chattering from inside pulsate louder and louder as you made your way towards the front door. Once opened, the noise hit you hard. Everyone was having a ball.

        “Hey! (Y/n)!”

        You barely heard him, but you saw Jax weaving through the crowd, lifting his cup in hand to get you. You laughed as he staggered a bit, clearly he was already a little buzzed.

        “Hey Jax, didn’t realize things were kicking off a bit early!” you chuckled.

        “Yeah well, some peers started to show up early, and they were the ones with the booze, so, why the hell not, huh?” he laughed wrapping his arm around your shoulder. “Anyways, just have fun, let loose, go wild, alright? If you need me, I’ll be uh… somewhere I guess!”

        You smiled, “Definitely! Thanks for inviting me.”

        He began to walk backwards into the crowd, doing finger guns at you, “Thanks for coming!”

        You chuckled, and soon he was mingling with other groups around. Honestly, you really didn’t know what to do now. You didn’t know anybody else here besides him, and you didn’t want stick to him the whole night like a lost third wheel. You looked around the living room, taking in how spacious it really was. Unsure if it would be considered rude or not, you decided to explore his house a bit. You were curious to what the life of luxury for a college student was like.

        In the kitchen, a gathering of people were watching two jocks compete in beer pong. You leaned against the wall and watched with the crowd, having a good time with everyone else as they cheered on whoever they were rooting for. After a few minutes, one of them won and threw his hands up, everyone screaming with him, and a few picking on or comforting the loser. You decided to slip away from this particular game, it was fun to watch while it lasted.

        “Hey hey, wait!” you heard a voice call to you. One of the guys grabbed your arm and pulled you back into the kitchen. Turns out, it was the victor of the prior beer pong match. You jerked your arm away defensively and looked around.

        “You can’t get a free show without competing!” the guy teased, but before you could get a word in, another girl walked up to the table on the opposing side. She gave you a smug smile and crossed her arms.

        “You gotta beat Kayla, aka Queen Miss Kay of Whis-kay!” he cheered. You lightly cringed at the stretch of a nickname, and figured you didn’t really have much of a choice. Besides, it could be fun… maybe?

        Once your cups were set, Kayla went first. And the ball plopped into one of your cups effortlessly. You hesitated, but with the sudden desire to prove yourself, you threw the bitter drink back, and slammed it down. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People started blasting, and this only gave you the extra push to try.

        “It’s on now, bitch!” you taunted. You threw yours, and well, you missed. Kayla erupted into laughter, but everyone else was still cheering the two of you on. To be fair, you had never played this, and you honestly didn’t know the rules aside from “you sink it, they drink it.”

        Her ball plopped into another cup of yours, and threw the drink back quick, and without wasting time, threw your ball. This time, it landed in one of hers. You felt some pride regained. You could actually do this.

        Annoyed, she swung it back, and the game continued for a while, until it was a single cup between the two of you. The effects of the alcohol were starting to get to her, but not as fast as they were to you. You were definitely a lightweight, especially to the likes of an apparent “Queen.” Needless to say, you lost, as she sunk the ball in your last cup. It was probably for the best, you weren’t entirely there anymore, and you didn’t want to get too caught up in the alcohol.

        You were congratulated for your efforts, and given permission to leave. You staggered your way past other buzzed or drunks, every motion a drowsy blur. You went for the stairs, hoping to find a bathroom with a little more seclusion. You had enough foresight in your inebriated state that you’d want to find a safe place to vomit if you had pushed it too far. Once upstairs, you opened a door, and oh how lucky you were. A bathroom. You noted it and closed it, deciding to explore more upstairs.

        The next door led to a master bedroom, and your jaw dropped. It was spacious and probably bigger than your puny little apartment altogether. There was a guy passed out on the bed, and a girl beside him struggling to get her clothes back on.

        You didn’t really pay mind to them, as she bumped into you in a hurry, murmuring things like, “I can’t believe he passed out on me” or “I’m not that bad.” Things you wouldn’t remember by tomorrow.

        You were dead set on the balcony before you that moonlight cascaded into, with a gentle breeze blowing the curtains. You approached, it seemed like a scene straight out of a movie as you let your hand brush by them. You held the railing and looked below. His backyard overlooked another crowd of people, half of them passed out in lawn chairs, and the other half so far gone they were dancing by themselves. A cool breeze blew against you, and you closed your eyes, leaning further against the railing. You almost felt like for a moment, you were flying. It was serenity to you, a moment you wanted to be apart of. You needed it more, so you leaned against it more, you tilted your head back, and felt your toes lift. You felt radiant, until you realized you were starting to lean too far.

        Your eyes shot open as you were being pulled over by gravity, hardly able to get a voice out in the shock. Just as you felt your waist and hands lose touch, you were yanked up quick. You blinked for a moment looking down, before gazing up. Cell was leaning from the roof, gipping you by the fabric of your top. His face was emotionless as he carefully hoisted you up with him. The two of you sat and leaned against the massive column that was Jax’s chimney, and Cell crossed his arms glaring at you.

        “Care to explain what that foolish stunt was?” he demanded coldly, narrowing his gaze. If you weren’t a little drunk, you’d be scared of him, but instead, you started laughing. His expression didn’t change, which only made you laugh harder. You leaned against him and finally calmed down a bit.

        “I’m, heh, I’m sorry, I just felt like for a moment, I was, you know, flying or something? It was incredible, and I guess I got carried away, and… wait, what are you doing here?” you questioned.

        He only glared down at you, analytically now, his eyes shifting around your features. You didn’t care to ask why he did that right now, and you were fine with the silent treatment. He caught you, and you were grateful, so you didn’t really need answers right now. You felt kind of nice right now, and so you continued to lean on him quietly, the sound of muffled chattering and music pulsating beneath the two of you.

        “Just so you know, thanks” you stated, realizing you didn’t even think to say it til now.

        “Hmm? For?”

        “Saving my life.”

        He erupted into a silently chuckle, “You’re being melodramatic for even  _my_ standards. That short drop had a low chance of killing you. There was a slight risk of snapping your neck, which would have been fatal, however, more likely you would only have a few broken bones and ribs…”

        Somewhere along his explanation, his voice was fading away, and you felt yourself falling asleep comfortably next to him. His body was far from soft, but he was surprisingly warm, and it was enough to encourage you to drift.

 

        You woke up slowly, and to your surprise, you were still on the roof. You could still feel Cell next to you too, except now he had an arm loosely locking you to him. The two of you must have been up there like that for a couple hours, given that most of the effects of the alcohol had seemingly faded away, and for the most part, you were all there. All that remained was minimal motion blur. It was strange to hear into Cell’s chest. His internal noises weren’t human, with the exception of what seemed reminiscent to a heart beat.

        “You’re awake now?” he asked calmly.

        “Mhm” you confirmed in a whisper.

        “Well, might I suggest we head back? It seems this gathering is coming to an end.”

        “Yeah…” you yawned, rubbing your eyes. “You can just teleport there if you want, I’ll be there soon.”

        You were greeted with silence, as he carefully unwrapped his arm from you and stood up. You glanced up, and he offered a hand up with a smirk. You rested yours in his, and he clasped it, guiding you to your feet. He wrapped his arm around your waist, and gripped you tightly against his side, before levitating upwards.

        “Wa-ah-!” he quickly placed a finger to your lips.

        “Shh, quiet now or else you’ll attract unwanted attention” he instructed calmly, continuing in his elevation. “You mentioned before you fell asleep on me how you felt like you were flying. Honestly, dear, you could've just asked me sooner. I do not mind impressing you with my capabilities.” He pulled his hand away before elevating up slightly faster. You clutched to his body tight, fearfully looking down as the ground began to disappear below you. You gazed upward, narrowing your eyes through the wind. His face was skyward as well, and you couldn’t help but feel a small flutter in your chest. He glanced back down at you from the corners of his eyes, and you quickly shifted yours away and back upwards, trying to resist from letting a blush emerge. You heard him laugh before he blasted above a sheet of clouds. Moonlight shined on the both of you, and the two of you hovered there a moment.

        “Are you holding up alright?” he asked. You nodded, feeling a weird sensation of weightlessness, despite hanging onto him. You focused on the moon, and how beautiful it was in its full glory, no clouds masking it.

        “Admittedly, this planet is capable of  _some_  aesthetic pleasure” Cell said, staring at the moon with you. You giggled quietly, picking up some underlying sarcasm.

        “Oh? But not as _aesthetically pleasing_ as yourself, huh?” you teased, poking fun at his vanity.

        “Precisely” he chuckled. With that, he lifted you above him, and sat you on his shoulders. He held onto your lower legs, and you gripped the appendages of his head. “You'd best hang on tight.”

        You blinked for a moment, in a split second, you were being propelled forwards. The wind smacked against your face, but in a matter of seconds you managed to get past it. The surge of adrenaline forced a smile on your face, and you were flipped upside down. Cell’s grip on your legs tightened, but you let your hands loose. You were just low enough to reach the clouds beneath you, and you let your fingers part through them. You watched the spectacle mystified, never expecting an experience like this. Cell started to lean back further, until you both spiraled straight downward through the cloud, and suddenly, he let go.

        Your heart rose to your throat as you plummeted downwards. He fell further below you, and you started to yell for him, waving your arms aimlessly. He turned his body to face you, and laughed at your struggle. He expanded his wings, slowing his acceleration, and you landed against him with a rough thud. He quickly wrapped an arm around, wiping a tear with his free hand.

        “Oh my dear, that was absolutely priceless! If only you could have seen the look on your face!” he giggled. You simply glared at him, too embarrassed and too busy trying to calm your panicked heartbeat to say anything back. You tightened your grip around him and closed your eyes. He took the hint that you were done, and you felt yourself slowly lose momentum till he stopped.

        “We’ve landed, you can open your eyes, dear.”

        You slowly pried them open, and gave a sigh of relief. You let Cell go, and never felt happier to feel the Earth beneath your feet. You were right outside the door of your unit.

        “One moment” Cell quickly stated, before disappearing, and reappearing just as quick, but with your car in one hand.

        “Oh, uh, thanks, I kinda forgot about it after all that. Try and put it down gently, though. As much fun as I had, I’d prefer to still have a working car instead” you retorted sarcastically, still a little discomposed. He rolled his eyes playfully, and did as you requested, gently lowering the car to the ground.

        “Thanks for that, except the part where you let me go” you teased.

        “Oh? I thought that was the best part, personally. I expected you to be a natural and start flying all by yourself, but clearly I’ve overestimated your abilities” he teased back.

        “Yeah, whatever!” you chuckled, attempting to playfully push him with one arm. He didn’t even budge, and just crossed his arms, looking down at you.

        “You are a strange human, indeed.”

        “And you are a flattering bug man.”

        “ _Hey_ ” he snapped. “What did I say about calling me that?”

        “You dropped me midair, I think I deserve a pass.”

        He paused long and hard, before giving a defeated sigh, “Fine, but _only_  this once. Capiche?”

        “Capiche.”


	5. Sunday Scuffles and Surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cell has a surprise for you, and you find out one he didn't really intend to share.

        A rainy Sunday morning, one of your favorite mornings. Sunday was spoil-yourself-day, and by that, you meant turn the radio onto a calm station, light some scentsy candles, brew up some tea, and have take out for dinner later… and maybe some meds for the minor headache you had from drinking last night.

        Oh, and you had an oversized sweater and pajama shorts. Just an added bonus.

        As you got started on your routine, you paused once you entered the living room. Cell appeared to be… meditating? He was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and eyes closed, and the atmosphere of the room felt serene. You let him be for the moment, lighting your candles, but opting not to turn on the radio. Not only did you want to give Cell peace, but he did break it when he dropped it. So, that was out of the question from the beginning.

        You laid on the couch, and quietly observed him. You didn’t take him for someone to do this, but since he  _ was  _ comprised of the cells of many martial artists, it made sense enough to you. Being able to examine him like this was something else, too. Obviously you knew what he looked like, but you never really got an opportunity to just stare for awhile, and notice the smaller details, like the sharpness of his jaw, the surprising thickness of his lips, and-

        “Enjoying the view, dear?”

        You turned red for a moment, and quickly tried to shake the weird thoughts you were having. He opened an eye and focused on you with a smug smile.

        “Oh, why absolutely”, you mocked, trying to save face. You had a sudden thought so ridiculous, that you felt inclined to ask.

        “So, have you ever tried to wear clothes before?”

        His face twisted a bit, taken aback by your nonsensical question, and he hesitated to respond. “Why the hell would I ever need to?”

        “You know, to see if you like it, I guess? I mean, obviously it wouldn’t serve anything to you besides aesthetic, and with vanity kinda being your thing-”

        “If you plan on trying to have me wear clothes, I’m not going to do that. I’m quite comfortable without them.”

        “But you’d also probably be comfortable with them? At least, a shirt, maybe?”

        The loud snapping of his wings interrupted you. “Listen, I don’t know if you noticed them or not, given your limited capabilities, but I’m absolutely positive that these would interfere if there were ever a ludicrous reason I should ever need to wear-”

        “Your head might be an issue, too.”

        He paused, closing his mouth to frown for a moment. “Why are you so invested in this ridiculous fantasy of me wearing clothes, anyways?”

        “Just a thought I had. Guess I underestimated your ability to… wear clothes, or something?”, you teased.

        Cell stood and crossed his arms with a smirk. “Mind tricks like that don’t work on me. I’m a master of psychological warfare. You have some nerve to try and play me at my own game like that.”

        You looked up at him and offered a meek shoulder shrug. “I could always cut a hole in the back of a sweat-”

        “No.”

        “Aww, come on, you’d look great-”

        “ _ No. _ Not happening. Ever. Please come to your senses already.”

        You gave a defeated sigh, rolling your eyes. “Aren’t you a load of fun, huh?”

        “I could always just let you practice flying again. I found that rather fun”, he chuckled.

        “No.”

 

        For the next half hour or so, you were idly on your laptop, and Cell was continuing his meditation. As you were scrolling through your feed, you couldn’t help but notice an ad for a cute little scooter being sold by someone not too far. It was pretty cheap, and it was your favorite color, too. You picked your brain for a bit, thinking that if you could sell your car, it would be a pretty good cash-grab. Without a second thought, you messaged the seller. After a while of conversation, it was agreed you could pick it up later today if you could pay upfront. You closed your laptop shut with a smile and a deep breath.

        “What’s put you in such an eager disposition?” Cell asked coolly, calmly gazing at you.

        “I bought a scooter, and I can come get it today if I bring the money for it” you happily explained.

        “So much for that “budget crisis” that’s limited  _ my _ desires, but not your own, hm?”

        “Well, that’s the thing! If I get the scooter, I can sell my car and have more in my pocket after! Anyways, I gotta withdraw some from the bank and pick it up. The guy lives about an hour away, so I’d like to get it asap.”

        “Well then, I’m coming as well” he replied calmly, standing up and crossing his arms.

        You hesitated for a moment and put your hands on your hips with a smile. “And what? Show up with a 7 foot bug man?”

        He gave you menacing glare before rolling his eyes and looking away, visibly annoyed.

        “Look, I won’t be gone, so don’t miss me too much, okay?” you tried to playfully reassure him.

        “When you return, I want to show you something.”

        You paused, and gave him a confused look. He glanced at you, before turning his back to you. “Don’t be long.” Before you could reply, he vanished. You weren’t sure what was to be expected from him, but you chose the optimistic thoughts. You didn’t want to assume the worst, but sometimes, you didn’t really know what else to expect from him. There were pleasant surprises to him for sure, but it always sat in the back of your mind what his past was, and how he still seemed adamant on pursuing vengeance. Maybe, you shouldn’t worry too much about it.

 

        You arrived at a large farmhouse with fields as far as the eye could see stretching behind it, and couldn’t help but envy the tranquility of the place. An elder man came out and waved as you got out of your car. You smiled and walked up to his porch, and he offered a polite handshake to you.

        After about half an hour of small talk and making the transaction, you had loaded up the scooter in the back of your vehicle. There was a small thing about the scenario that didn’t quite add up to you, so you felt inclined to ask before you left.

        “Was this your scooter, sir?” you asked.

        “Do I look like my boney rear can handle a scooter?” he playfully retorted. “But, nah, it was my daughter’s before she moved a few towns away. She don’t want it back, and I certainly need zeni more than this thing loiterin’ in my yard.”

        “Not to seem rude, but, you have a really nice place, and so much land! I wouldn’t think you’d be short on zeni?”

        “Well, you’re observant, I’ll give you that. But, you’re missing something in the view here” he said with an agitated sigh.

        “What is it?”

        “All my livestock went missin’. Same goes for the rest of the local farmers ‘round here. I have a livin’ to maintain, and I cain’t when I got no livestock!” he complained.

        You had a very, very deep hunch you knew what was going on, and you were dead-set on fixing it. You sighed, and gave him an extra few zeni. He blinked up at you in surprise.

        “Here, take it. I’m so sorry this has happened, and I feel it’s only right to help out” you insisted. He certainly didn’t deny, in fact, he flashed a big grin and quickly dashed inside happily with his earnings. He never came back outside, so you felt you should probably leave now. Besides, you had a looong conversation due for a certain someone now.   
  


        You got home and slammed the door behind you before looking around, ready to pounce as soon as you laid eyes on him. Nowhere in sight, you huffed and crossed your arms.

        “CELL!” you hollered, your foot tapping impatiently. Nothing. You grunted annoyed, and threw yourself backwards on the couch, rubbing your face in frustration. You started slowing your breathing down, and stared at the ceiling.

        “What the hell am I gonna do with you?” you asked yourself quietly.

        “You’re going to come with me, that’s what, dear!” you heard his familiar voice, and looked up to see his smug smile. There was a bit of an eagerness to it this time, as he seemed anxious to do whatever. He approached, but you stood up to him, halting him in place. He blinked curiously at you.

        “What are you-?” you quickly cut him off.

        “What did you do?!” you demanded coldly, glaring up at him. He was puzzled by your sudden anger, and seemed unsure how to react at the moment, other than silence.

        “When you went out, did you or didn’t you murder a bunch of people’s animals?!” you asked, the silence only irking you more. His eyes narrowed at you for a moment, and he give a quiet scoff.

        “And what if I have?!” he spat, glaring you down. “You refuse that I consume to my satisfaction in your home, and I have complied to that! I have perfectly explained once why I need to do this, and we will  _ not _ have this conversation again!”

        “Well, I guess we’re doing this again, like it or not, because of  _ your  _ big, dumb revenge plan!” you retorted. “You will not go eating a bunch of peoples livestock just for your short sighted scheme!”

        His eyes widened a bit, and his teeth gritted. The room felt static, and there was a powerful aura around him. “How dare you refer to  _ my  _ strategy like that! Everything I do is carefully calculated to ensure the best possible outcome, and quite frankly, consuming in mass to gain energy reserves is one of simplest solutions there is! Not only have I done that, but I’ve been training! Out in the infinite cosmos, in the farthest reaches of space, I’ve been training!  _ You  _ need to come to terms with the way things are going to be once I’m prepared to face Kakarot!” 

        “ _ Carefully calculated _ ?! Cell, do you even hear yourself?! If things were so “carefully calculated”, then what happened at your  _ own _ tournament?!” After the words left your lips, you immediately wished you could take it back. You swear for a moment, you almost physically saw the sting of your words upon Cell’s face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before turning his back to you and crossing his arms. You reached your arm out, wanting to do something, but you weren’t sure what. You sighed.

        “I’m… that was too much. I’m sorry I said that” you apologized quietly, clasping your hands together and facing downwards. He stood there silently, the static of the room fading, along with his aura.

        “Please say something, I just… I…” you couldn’t find the right words to explain how frustrating things were for you that wouldn’t sound insulting to him. Instead, you gazed upward. He still silently held his back to you, showing no desire to face you. You took a deep breath, shimmied around his wings, and hugged him from behind. You didn’t know why, but you felt like you needed to do this. He wouldn’t listen to your words, but maybe he would listen to your actions.

        An awkward silence fell between you and you had absolutely no idea now what to do. You let go and backed up, and he slowly turned his head to see you.

        “What the hell was _ that _ ?” he muttered quietly.

        Your sarcastic response would’ve been “a hug”, but now was a bad time. “I- Listen, you have to understand how hard this kind of is for both of us. You want to do your thing, and I get it, sorta… and some of the things you do, I can’t support, be it financially or morally. I just… it’s such a complicated thing we’ve got ourselves into, y’know?” you gave a faint chuckle, trying to mask how upset it truly made you. He didn’t offer a change of expression, or any words. You sighed and continued, “Maybe you don’t understand things from my perspective, and to be honest, that’s fair. I don’t exactly get yours. We just, I don’t know, need to have a clearer compromise? Maybe that-”  
  
        “Shut up already” he quietly interrupted. You furrowed your brow, shocked at his words.

        “Well,  _ excuse _ -!”

        “You’re excused from rambling” he quickly interjected again, and turned to face you with a smug grin. You were lost for words, perplexed by his demeanor in a moment like this.

        “Now then”, he began, taking a step towards you and leaning at eye-level, “If you’ve let it all out now, I still feel generous enough to show you my little surprise.”

        You blinked, remembering his words from earlier. You crossed your arms and sighed, “Well, as long as I was clear enough for you, then fine. We won’t have this conversation anymore so long as  _ you  _ don’t do anything stupid again.”

        “If it is any consolation to you, I think I’ve devoured as much as I need to.”

        “I guess- wait, you’re full? How the hell many-!”  You were about to fire a barrage of words again, and Cell knew it. You were quickly scooped bridal style, the last thing you saw was his shit-eating grin before a flash of light consumed you both. 

 

        It only took a second for you to see clear again. Looking around, you heard the birds singing, the dense foliage and trees lining the dirt road Cell stood on. He put you down, and looking past him, a great mountain peaked from the treetops.

        “Woah…” you quietly muttered, taking the majestic sight in. Cell glanced to it as well, and took in a calm breath, closing his eyes.

        “I didn’t take you for nature lover”, you teased upon noticing his strange appreciation.

        “Hmph, hardly” he chuckled, before returning his gaze to you, “It’s the silence. As much as I consider the screams of terror music to my ears, silence is was truly sees me content. Perhaps, isolation even.”

        “Well, regardless, why did you bring us here? And, for that matter,  _ where  _ is here?”

        “You’ll find out shortly. Our destination is about a 40 minute walk from here”, he replied, pointing down the road.

        “Ugh, you couldn’t have just teleported us there?” you groaned, not exactly eager for the exercise.

        “I knew you’d prefer this”, he laughed, before beginning to walk. You hesitated a moment, before he called out to you. “Do keep up! I’d hate for you to end up lost a second time!” Sighing, you rolled your eyes and followed. At least, with a walk, you’d be able to enjoy the scenery longer, even if your legs would start to burn, right?


	6. In The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is super late, so I made the chapter a little longer. Sorry for the late update everyone <3

         The songs of birds and the occasional whistle of the wind filled the silence between the two of you as you walked the road, keeping a couple yards behind him. You looked around as you walked, taking in the sight of nature. It was definitely refreshing after having been in the city for most of your life. Seldom did you ever do any outdoor activity, but maybe you should start? It had been about 15 minutes, and your feet already started to ache.

         “So, any particular reason we’re walking? Other than at my own expense anyway?” you asked, almost opting to have him fly you to your destination despite your distrust of the idea.

         “Well, in truth, I’m gauging you” he replied calmly.

         You blinked, slightly confused and taken aback. “I’m sorry, _gauging_?” you asked, quickening your pace just enough to be beside him.

         He nodded. “How capable your physique and mentality are.” He paused, eyeing you up and down and smiled. “Not very, it would. You’re already becoming short of breath.”

         “Tch, it’s not like I have anything to be jacked up for anyway”, you retorted, rolling your eyes.

         “Hmm, you never know” he quietly mused. “I am quite curious of something else, however.”

         “That is?”

         “Your trust. Not once I have I sensed fear in you during our miniature journey. You’ve been completely composed and in your own head, unconcerned with me. Why is that?”

         You scoffed playfully. “What? Jealous I’m not thinking of you?”

         “No, but, just, ever since that night we met, there’s been an innate anxiety in you about me, as most humans do. Over the course of my stay, I’ve noticed it slowly dissipate to the point there is nothing. I suppose it’s just something I’m not used to.”

         “Uh… is there a reason I should be afraid?” you quietly asked, awkwardly rubbing your arm.

         “Not for the time being. And besides…” he trailed off quietly, stopping in his tracks. You made it a few steps ahead before you stopped and turned to face him. With a sudden lunge, he rushed at you, yanking you by your arm and pulling you face to face. You were on the verge of shaking in terror, his eyes piercing through yours with a smug smile. After scanning your face for a moment, his rush seemed lost and his smile fell flat. He released you and gave a troubled sigh, before walking again.

         “...Scare tactic, or…?” you questioned, very confused and perturbed now, and keeping him a fair few yards ahead of you again.

         “Sure, whatever” he spat dismissively, seeming bothered and annoyed by something and crossing his arms.

         The next ten minutes were painfully quiet again. This time, there were no birds singing and the air seemed still. All was tense until you started to notice that familiar sound.

         “So, uh, your feet… what’s up with that?” you quietly asked.

         “What about them?” he replied, a lingering bitterness to his tone.

         “They squeak when you walk.”

         “... It’s a byproduct of my design” he replied defensively. You slightly raised a brow at that, but decided to leave it be. Perhaps you’d tease him about it later when he wasn’t in such a huffy mood, whenever that was.

 

         You were tired, sore, and kind of bored after an eternity of walking. You lazily looked to the ground as you walked, kicking the occasional rock that was big enough to catch your attention. Only realizing upon bumping into his back, Cell had stopped in place. You glared up, and he returned an amused raised brow over his shoulder. Looking past him however, it finally caught up to you what his little “surprise” was.

         A massive, beautiful cabin stood before you. You carefully approached the property, taking in all it’s details from the stone pathway, to the large patio, and the lush foliage. You swear it was something from a luxury home catalog. Something from a dream. Despite, all it’s glory, you started to brew up a lot of questions in your head, and you turned to face Cell.

         “This place is amazing, but, why are we here?” you asked, slightly concerned.

         “I found it while I was out, and I figured I’d reside here for the time being” he replied, seeming quite pleased with his selection of residency.

         “You… _found_ it? As nice as this place is, and the perfect condition it’s in, I have a hard time believing you just _found_ it” you retorted, crossing your arms.

         “Oh, but rest assured, I did!” he mused, before flying over you and onto the porch. He casually leaned on the railing and looked down at you with a smug grin. “I took it upon myself to renovate it to my preference. I appreciate your approval of my work, though such was inevitable.” Boy, did this guy love to pat himself on the back when he could.

         “Okay, fine. Even if it is abandoned, and super nice, why are you moving out?”

         “Your own place is rather… _confined_ for my liking. Furthermore, the noise of the city is obnoxious, and it takes all of my willpower not to decimate it” he complained, and you weren’t sure of he was kidding or not. “So, here we are.”

         “Speaking of that, _where_ is here?” you asked, looking around. Only trees and the mountains peeking over them surrounded you.

         “Hmm, roughly 250 miles north from your apartment” he gave a quick estimate.

         “That’s kinda far from home…” you trailed off, and a big problem jumped at you fast. “W-wait, does this mean-?!” you paused, shifting a concerned glare to him. He simply leaned his head to the side with a smile and narrowed his eyes.

         “You’re far too quick to conclusions, dear” he chuckled, and began idly inspecting his black nails. “But yes, I suppose that would mean our little agreement is dissolved.”

         You took a step back, knowing what this could mean. Not only for people you cared about, but you. Worse, you were alone and far from home. All of this started to seem rather too planned not to be an elaborate scheme against you. Cell seemed to notice your fear, too, as he glanced up to you and grinned.

         “You can relax, I have no intentions of killing you or anyone else as of now. I plan to train for the next few months, up to a level I believe suitable for eliminating Goku and his wretched spawn” he explained, ending with a small scowl.

         You hesitated for a moment, but then offered a slight frown. “So, if you’re staying here then, you won’t be around anymore?”

         “Hmm, there’s a lot I have to do, but, you’re rather incapable on your own.”

         “What’s that supposed to mean?” you scoffed, crossing your arms.

         “If I must explain, may I merely remind you who rescued you from broken bones that night you were so inebriated, you believed you could fly?” he laughed.

         “Oh god, that was _one_ time! But, _thank you_ my knight in shining armor, for rescuing a drunk damsel!” you teased with mock gratitude.

         He raised a brow at your act, before rolling his eyes. “Are we forgetting the sole incident that got us both in our predicament in the first place?” he sneered.

         “Well then, I guess that means both of us aren’t capable on our own, right? Who knows in what condition you’d be on your own if I hadn’t got lost!”

         He snarled at your words, crossing his arms. “I would have been perfectly fine without your convenience! And you know, it’s far more _your_ luck than mine. There’s a good chance I wouldn’t have hesitated to destroy everything within my vicinity had things played differently!”

         You kept your demeanor, letting his unapologetic death threats go. You offered a small giggle in return, which only seemed to piss him off slightly more.

         “Well, go on then, spit it out, (y/n). I’m dying to hear what’s so humorous!” he spat, narrowing his glare on you.

         You covered your mouth and composed yourself. “I’m sorry, it’s just, I can’t take your whole “ruthless and evil” schtick seriously anymore.”

         “My… what?” he growled.

         “The whole _“I’m so perfect! I could kill anyone if I wanted because I have so much power! I’m also a walking, talking thesaurus! Fear my wrath, hyaagghh!”_ ” you replied in your best imitation of Cell’s voice you could muster.

         He blinked for a moment, before scoffing. “I suppose imitation _is_ the best form of flattery. Even if it’s terrible and inaccurate. I commend your efforts, but never try it again if want to live a long life.”

         You couldn’t help but chuckle again as he managed to squeeze in a threat in almost everything he said, only driving your point home that much more. He didn’t seem all that bothered anymore, and any real aggravation he had was back to a petty attitude.

         “Well, anyways, it’s a nice place you got for yourself. Um…” you trailed off, kind of unsure of what to do now. You glanced up to see Cell wasn’t even paying attention to you anymore. His gaze had shifted upwards to his right, and you followed his line of sight to notice a pair of doves together on a branch, one of them preening the other. He seemed almost as if he were reminiscing something, watching with an expression you couldn’t quite identify other than deep thought.

         “You okay?” you asked. He slowly pulled himself out of his trance, and back to you.

         “I’m quite alright. It’s just that now that I’m noticing little details of this planet, some of them remind me of someone. He had a bizarre appreciation for the environment, and I couldn’t quite comprehend it.”

         “Oh, you had a friend?” you asked, hoping it wasn’t as offensive as it might have sounded.

         “No. I killed him” he replied nonchalantly.

         “O-oh.” Well, things were a little awkward for you now.

         He seemed to pick up on the mood, and gave effort to change the subject. “Anyways...” he coughed lightly, “I’m… contented that you approve of this place, I suppose.” There was something strangely calm about his tone suddenly. If you didn’t know better, sincerity would the best way to describe it.

         “Well, if that’s that, then I guess I’m ready to home.”

         His eyes lit up for a moment, before he placed a hand on his chest. “So eager to say goodbye? You insult me!” he mocked offense.

         “No, no!” you quickly blurted, shaking your hands. “I just, I thought this was it. The surprise is this place that you’re going to stay, right?”

         He hesitated for a moment, and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but closed it. “Yes, I guess that was the surprise.” With that, he slowly levitated off the porch, and landed in front of you. “If you are ready to go back, hold onto me” he ordered stoically, placing two fingers to his forehead. You did as he instructed, and that familiar flash consumed you.

 

         You held onto him for a moment to gather yourself. It was still a new feeling for you, and you were almost sure that no matter how many times you did it, you’d never get used to it. Finally, recovered, you found that the two of you were now back in your living room. Pokey immediately leapt from the couch and dashed for your bedroom.

         “It’s probably best this way, anyways” he said quietly. “My presence and my necessities may be of an understandable burden. But… I am grateful for your hospitality, regardless. Providing for such an entity as myself may be an arduous task, especially for the likes of a completely nonfunctional woman as yourself.” He offered a small chuckle.

         You smiled, but couldn’t help but feel kind of sad. The air became tense between you, as if the both of you had words to speak but couldn’t quite say them. The two of you just spent the next few moments exchanging a few awkward glances.

         “Well, I’ll be going then” Cell finally broke the silence. “I’ll be checking in to ensure you’re still alive and such.”

         “Yeah, that would be nice” you chuckled. “Goodbye” you solemnly said with a wave.

         He raised two fingers to his forehead again, and raised his other in farewell, before disappearing before you.

         Oh, boy, this was actually rougher than you thought. You weren’t quite prepared to get attached to his company, let alone have him leave so soon. A part of you had enjoyed the excitement he brought to your life, and another part couldn’t help but wonder why. Sure, he wasn’t kidding about your place, but he never seemed so dissatisfied as to pack it up elsewhere. You decided you’d try not to dwell too much on him.

         A few hours passed, and all you could think about was him. You sat on your bed, leaning against your window as rain drops slid down the other side. Pokey was asleep, curled up at the foot of your bed.

         Why did you feel this way? Why did you care about someone like him? You knew what he was about. You knew that had your situation with him started any differently, there was a chance you’d be dead by his hand. How could you miss someone like that? Furthermore, it’s not like you even spent a lot of time with him. It had only been maybe a week, if that.

         Why the hell was this tearing you up so much?

 

         A month had passed since the day he left, and, well, you felt better. Not entirely, but the void you felt from his absence didn’t sting as much anymore. Your car had been sold for a decent price, and you now relied on your scooter for transportation. Just a few days ago was your college graduation, and well, you were now preparing for a job interview.

         You gussied up in the mirror, tussling your hair and adjusting your clothes. Once you decided you’d make a good physical first impression, you gave a confident smile to yourself. You were ready to go.

         The drive was about an hour away, which seemed rather tedious, but the plus side, if you got the job, you were able to reside rent-free on the property. From what you heard, the place wasn’t half bad either. A sign let you know that you were definitely in the right place.

_Welcome to Satan City!_

         You thought you lived in a decent-sized city, but nothing topped the size of this place. Plenty of billboards and signs highlighting the hero of Earth of which the city was named after. It was a little overwhelming for someone like you who didn’t quite idolize him as much as everyone else did, but it was definitely... impressionable.

         You pulled up to the iron gates that divided you from the mansion that belonged to the famous man himself, Mr. Hercule Satan. If there was any doubt of his residence, _SATAN_ in bold letters would give you a hint. After parking your bike, you approached the gates, and carefully pressed your hand against them. To your surprise, they squeaked ajar. You kind of expected a celebrity to keep his gate locked, but perhaps when you’re a martial artist famous for saving the world on multiple occasions, you can be your own security?

         You entered the yard, and followed the large steps up to his front door. Before you could even knock, you hesitated upon hearing a loud crash from inside, followed by barking and yelling. You were able to figure it was Hercule, but the other voice wasn’t as familiar. Nothing being said was intelligible from outside. You took a deep breath, and knocked.

         All the chaos silenced immediately, even the dog you swear you heard had gone quiet. As you heard the door start to open, you put on your best smile that you could.

         The door swung open, and you were face to face with the guy himself, looking rather distressed. You nervously waved.

         “I’m uh, here for the job interview? The maid job?” you chuckled quietly.

         “Can you cook?!” Hercule asked quickly.

         You blinked for a moment. “Yes?”

         “You’re hired!” he quickly blurted, before practically grabbing you and throwing you in the kitchen. “Anything with chocolate or sweets! Hustle, hustle!” he hollered.

         An apron was quickly tossed on you and you were pushed in front of the oven. Everything was happening rather fast.

         “Will, uh…” you paused to think. “Chocolate pudding be okay?”

         “Perfect!” he screamed, and with that, you were on it. Thankfully, his large kitchen had many of the ingredients required for you to make it.

         As you prepared the dessert, you kept hearing a high-pitched voice scream from other rooms. _“Buu this! Buu that!”_ You weren’t quite sure what to make of it yet, but you definitely needed to have a much longer conversation with Hercule about your job, what your pay would be, and if you were going to live there, so could Pokey. You did notice that there was, in fact, a dog here, too. Hopefully him being a pet owner himself would help smooth that topic over. Also, can you just take a moment to breathe and realize your first few minutes of being in a celebrities home is making food?

         A light tap on your shoulder caught your attention, and you turned to face a large, pink creature with a tiny smile on his pudgy face. Your face practically went pale.

         “Buu think pudding nice!” he said, almost yelling it in his high-pitch childish voice as he beamed at you with an innocent smile that you couldn’t quite acknowledge. A smile quivered on your face as you tried to compose yourself. You had no idea what you were looking at, and you were just trying to keep from fainting on the stove. Or screaming. Both seemed to be bad options

         “Buu! Don’t bother her too much! If you keep talking to her, she might not be able to get it done fast, okay?!” Hercule yelled, panting as if he’d been trying to control this “Buu” fellow for a while.

         “Oh? Buu understand!” he yelled, but politely, before waltzing out of the kitchen.

         Hercule rubbed the back of his neck, before facing you with an anxious giggle. “Sorry about him! He gets, uh, upset without his food! He's actually a really nice guy!”

         “Uh huh…” you laughed, before mentally screaming as you continued to cook.

         My god, what have you gotten yourself into.


	7. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super duper late updater extraordinaire here to apologize for what what I'm extraordinaire at! Have an update finally! <3
> 
> You meet a couple people who seem suspicious of you, but they seem familiar to you, somehow.

        A week later, you were now fully moved into the Satan household, as well as Pokey. To your surprise, your cat and Satan’s dog named Bee got along fairly well. Sure, when they chased each other around, things got rather… destructive, but it wasn’t something intolerable by anyone. Hell, Buu, who you started becoming friends with, would sometimes join them, chasing the pair around the house while carelessly knocking furniture over. Hercule would hold conferences in his own luxurious living room, typically addressing whatever tournament news or martial arts gossip was going around. In short, his estate was a lot livelier than you had initially anticipated.

        Your job mostly consisted of cooking. Buu had a humongous appetite, and Hercule was a busy guy who had all eyes on him 24/7. He couldn’t afford to dedicate too much time to taking care of Buu if he wanted to stay in the limelight. So, that’s where you came in. Aside from dinners, most of your meals were desserts and delicacies, which Hercule gave you the funds to get ingredients for such. The other small details of your job consisted of dusting furniture and trophies, and making everyone’s beds. Overall, it was a pretty good job to have. 

        You were resting in your new, satin sheet bed, idly checking your phone. As you scrolled through your news feed, an article captured your attention. An unmistakable silhouette fronted the article, headlined “Mysterious Flying Creature Caught On Camera! Elaborate Hoax or Extraterrestrial Lifeform?”

        You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the headline, but there was no doubt that Cell was getting sloppy with his “low profile” business. Speaking of, you wondered if he even remembered you, or remembered that he said he’d visit. You tried not to think of it too much, but he was just someone that ran across your mind at least once a day. Could you blame yourself? How do you forget?

        A light knock on your bedroom door pulled you from your thoughts. “Just a second!” you yelled, and scurried to throw on a pair of pants. You approached the door and opened to see Hercule.

        “Sorry to bother you so early, (y/n)!” he chuckled nervously.

        “It’s okay, sir. What do you need?”

        “Well, later today, my daughter and her husband will be visiting for dinner. I was hoping you’d be able to whip up a feast for all of us.”

        “Yeah sure, I could do that, but, it’s kinda early. You want me to start now?” you asked.

        “You’d think that! But, you’d probably need to make a stop at the market. Gohan has the craziest appetite I’ve ever seen, well, uh, next to Buu anyway. It’s bizarre how many bowls he can clear within two minutes!” he laughed.

        You chuckled with him before nodding. “Alright, well, give me a second to prepare a list. Uh, any recommendations for meals?”

        “Chef’s choice, girly! Surprise us! I know you won’t let us down, you haven’t yet!” he beamed.

        Out of nowhere, Buu leaped between you two, practically screaming in your face. “Chocolate cake!” You blinked a moment, before nodding and smiling.

        “I’ll get everything for it! How about an entire chocolate cake, just for you?”

        “Really? Just for Buu?!” he screamed, before pulling you into a tight hug. You swear you would suffocate in his grasp, if he didn’t crush your lungs first. He released you, and you staggered a bit before recouping yourself. Hercule laughed nervously, before trying to distract Buu from you, giving you a feeble thumbs up as he lead the pink, round creature away.

        Buu was an oddball to say the least. He’d throw massive tantrums one moment if he couldn’t immediately have his way. You only ever saw his nasty side whenever he was hungry, or didn’t want to share. However, he had an extremely affectionate side to him, too. It was clear he had an unbreakable bond with Mr. Satan, and absolutely Bee. His vocabulary seemed rather limited, and he tended to refer to himself in the third person. In short, he had a somewhat childish demeanor about him.

        How familiar to you that seemed to be.

 

        After deciding on meals and listing your ingredients, you were on your way to the supermarket. Hercule had a preference for organic goods, as they tended to be fresh and locally grown in comparison to the cheaper standard. He insisted it was healthier for his lifestyle, and you couldn’t complain. You noticed the rise of quality in flavor from them, too, and that’s what sold you personally. Plus, the fact that it was his zeni you were spending for it.

        While browsing the fruits, you couldn’t help but feel as though you were being watched. You looked around, but nothing stood out to you in the sea of shoppers. Everything appeared pretty normal. Trying to shrug it off, you continued marking off your list and shopping, but the feeling wouldn’t leave you alone. An ominous presence was near.

        Perhaps it was Cell? Surely if he was in the building, there would be a fuss. It had been many years since his defeat, but there was no way everyone had just forgotten him. 

        The gut feeling never left, and it made you slightly uneasy, as you couldn’t quite pin it down. You passed by numerous aisles, and in your peripheral, a green blur in one caught your attention. You stopped and backtracked a bit to look back down it, but it was empty. You smirked lightly to yourself, becoming confident in yourself that he was here. Regardless, you had errands to get done, and it was a pretty public area. You’d rather skip the terror his mere appearance would cause to others, let alone him having a casual conversation with you.

        After checkout, you walked out of the supermarket, groceries in arms. As you loaded your bike, you swear you saw a green blur again, this time in a dim lit, narrow alleyway. You finished loading, before gazing down the alley. Hesitant, you knew it would be a horrible idea to investigate, but you thought long and hard about it. There were very few pedestrians on the sidewalks, given the early hour, but your bike was nearby. If it was who you suspected it to be, then surely you wouldn’t need it. You took a deep breath, and went for it.

 

        The shadow consumed you, and you kept your wits about you… or what wits you had left after doing what you did.

        “Uh, hello?” you called out, your eyes inspecting every detail of every dumpster, corner, and door. Silence greeted you, but yet you still felt like someone was watching you. A few mice scurried across the alley mere inches before your feet, sending shivers down your spine. You quickly shook it off, trying to not let something is small as that get the better of you.

        You swear you saw movement in the shadows ahead, which was enough for you to decide you’d rather leave it a mystery before you died trying to discover it. You took a couple steps back before turning to jog out, only to bump into something and stumble backwards onto your rump.

        You blinked and gazed up to see someone who was definitely not who you were expecting. A green humanoid man with pointed ears, a white turban and cape, and violet gi. His eyes pierced into yours, and you felt your heart race in fear. He seemed vaguely familiar, but you knew for fact you’d never met him.

        “Apologies for the scare, but I need to ask you a few questions” he said flatly, crossing his arms.

        You carefully stood up, keeping your eyes on him. “Y-yeah? What do you want?”

        “Have you seen anything, or anyone, strange recently?”

        Blinking, you started to piece together what he was onto you about, and you weren’t exactly sure about sharing details. You weren’t sure what would happen to you if you spoke the truth to this stranger. “Besides you, no. I haven’t.”

        He raised a brow, seeming unconvinced of your answer. “Are you sure? If you’re being forced to withhold information, allow me to clear something up; I have no desire to harm you in either scenario.”

        “Honestly, I have no idea what you’re talking about” you defended, crossing your arms and glancing away from him.

        There was a tense pause between the two of you, as he continued to glare you down in disbelief.

        “So be it” he lightly scoffed. “However, if you do encounter someone strange, with more hostile intentions, please, don’t hesitate to seek help. It would be a shame for you to assist someone like that, only to be killed by them with a second merciful thought.”

        You gasped lightly at his bold statement, but didn’t speak. He was baiting you, and you weren’t going to take it. He seemed to realize this, too. Giving a frustrated grunt, he ascended from the concrete ground, and in unfathomable speed, flew away.

        Giving a small sigh of relief, you walked back into the public view. Thankfully nobody seemed to had notice the scene prior, and furthermore, your bike was where it was, untouched. You hopped on, and back to the mansion with your groceries you were. 

 

        Upon arriving and getting inside, you started stocking Hercule’s kitchen. Before you could get started on preparing a feast, you were pulled into a tight hug, being lifted off your feet. You turned to see that innocent chubby pink face beaming at you. Bee stood there too, wagging his tail enthusiastically while Pokey watched in mild interest from the other room.

        “Buu ready for chocolate cake now!!!” he screamed, practically making your ears ring.

        “Calm down, I still need to make it!” you explained with a chuckle.

        “Oh?” he paused, before giving a small frown. “Buu want cake  _ now _ !!!” he repeated, with more attitude.

        “You’ll just have to be patient, okay? Tell you what, I can make your cake first, how’s that?” you tried negotiating. “You gotta put me down so I can make it super fast!”

        He gave an over-dramatic, aggravated whine, before putting you down and pouting. “Fine, but Buu want you to hurry!” he demanded, before stomping away.

        You wiped your forehead in relief. You knew that Buu would never try to hurt you or anyone else in the Satan house, but sometimes in his childish fits, he didn’t realize how strong he really was. The countless furniture accidentally destroyed was proof enough of that, as he tended to have to work out his frustrations physically. Perhaps you should get this guy a stress ball? Maybe that would help him relax and find a more controlled way of relieving his anger. That, or upon realizing it wasn’t edible, he’d dispose of it.

        Regardless, you had a feast to cook up, and you were hellbent on impressing Hercule’s family. You didn’t know all that much about his family life outside the fact he had a daughter named Videl who was close to you in age, married to a man named Gohan, and they had a little girl. That’s all you knew, but you would suspect the child of a celebrity could easily snatch a spouse if they wanted. You just hoped that they weren’t pretentious people given their wealth.

  
  


        The evening hours were soon approaching, and you had been slaving in the kitchen all day. Oven mitts and an apron adorned you, and you couldn’t help but feel pride in how much you’d been able to prepare in a day; Salmon fillet topped with lemon cream sauce, spring rolls with an assortment of dipping sauces, onigiri with shrimp, numerous chocolate cakes (for Buu), and a variety of other meals.

        You were grateful for Hercule occasionally coming in to assist you in between his numerous conferences or outings. He was pretty busy as it was, but he had squeezed today’s business in a tighter knit of a schedule than usual as to be able to have plenty of free time for his visiting relatives later. Obviously, you didn’t mind, you were just thankful that everything was almost finished in the kitchen.

        A ring at the doorbell pulled you from your thoughts, Bee running and barking for the door eagerly, and Pokey scurrying off to hide elsewhere.

        “(Y/n)! Could you get that please? I’m trying to wrap up this call!” Hercule hollered from the living room.

        “Yeah, I’m on it!” you yelled back, before taking off your oven mitts and heading for the door.

        Upon opening, you were greeted by a well-dressed couple with a toddler in the woman’s arms. The man seemed strangely familiar, but you couldn’t exactly place him. His expression towards you wasn’t initially welcoming, in fact, he seemed almost startled by you momentarily. However, he quickly joined the woman’s beaming smile at you.

        “Hey there, is my father here?” she asked cheerfully, the child in her arms giving a curious face to you.

        “A-ah! Yes, of course, come in! You must be Videl and Gohan, right?” you asked, stepping aside to let them in. They walked past you, nodding in confirmation with polite smiles. You barely caught Gohan’s glare peeking over the brim of his glasses, barely enough to even know if it really happened or not. Ultimately, you shrugged it off.

        “Videl, you’re father is currently on the phone, but he’ll be here soon” you informed. “Would anyone care for a drink?”

        “That’s fine, and thank you but we don’t need-”

        “I’d like water please!” Gohan quickly interjected, giving an uneasy chuckle. Both you and Videl blinked at him, before you nodded with a smile and went to the kitchen.

        For some reason, he seemed strangely awkward around you. You stopped by a mirror to make sure you didn’t look terrible, or had something on your face. As far as you could tell, you looked perfectly fine. Continuing to rummage through your thoughts, you put a few ice cubes in a glass, and filled it with water. You overheard Hercule hang up his call and join his family, and as you walked in with Gohan’s glass, he had all three in a tight, loving embrace. Everyone, especially Pan were sharing laughter. You gave a warm smile before setting the glass on the coffee table, and heading back to set up dinner.

 

        At the dinner table, or if you were being realistic, buffet table, Gohan, Buu, and Pan were devouring numerous bowls and plates of your cooking, though Buu stuck primarily to your cakes. Pan would occasionally sneak a few bites for Bee and Pokey, who were sitting under the table beside her. You were too amused to say anything, and ate quietly while the Videl and her father shared casual conversations.

        “So, it’s (y/n) right?” Videl asked, pulling both you and Gohan’s attention. You nodded. “This is some amazing cooking!” she complimented.

        “Oh, ah, thanks!” you chuckled.

        “No kidding! How did you do it?” Gohan asked, seeming a little more comfortable now that he had a meal before him.

        “Well, with patience and a prayer” you joked, earning a small chuckle from the table (excluding Buu and Pan).

        Videl and her father continued chatting, the bits and pieces you overheard being about World Tournaments, Pan’s growing up, and etc. The expected from Satans. You glanced up to catch Gohan quickly shift his eyes from you to their conversation.

        Okay, something was going on, for certainty. You just couldn’t figure out if it was serious, or something minor. To be fair, you are the stranger among these people, so perhaps you shouldn’t think too much about it. At the same time, Videl and Pan seemed fine with your presence and company, so why was Gohan acting this way?

        You excused yourself from the table, and went around taking empty, dirty dishes. Maybe he would spill the beans on his issue with you if you weren’t in sight. You set the dishes in the sink, deciding to start washing them later once Hercule’s family left. In the meantime, you were going to do a little detective work. Gohan still seemed so faintly familiar, and with his attitude about you, you needed to know what it was.

 

        You leaned against the counter of the kitchen, and typed his name in your phone. As you searched, you made sure to keep an ear out on their conversation, hoping he would mention you or his problem.

        Most of the articles you found with mention of him strictly related to his relationship with Hercule through Videl, nothing really elaborate or detailed. However, you did make a bit of a discovery on one, simply through photos.

        That green guy, the one who interrogated you earlier in the alley. There was a picture of him and Gohan, and they both seemed content in each other’s company, almost friendly. They were posed for a group picture among other faces you swear you’ve seen before. You scanned every face, from Gohan and the green guy, to a man with a stern look and pointed hair, a man with three eyes, and a variety of other bizarre people.

        Who were these guys? Where did you see them before? The connection was so tantalizingly close, that it absolutely frustrated you. As much as you scrolled, the only other photos seemed to be of Gohan with Videl and Hercule, or completely unrelated. You sighed, giving up, and completely focusing back to the dinner conversation in the other room. Nothing really notable, or at least involving you. It was hopeless to find out anything now, and the fact that you had almost figured it out only agitated you more. You wanted to ask Gohan about the green guy, and what his connection to him was, but if you did, you would probably be called out for basically cyberstalking him and his history. It was a big lose/lose for you.

        You were at an irritating impasse.

 

        As the evening went on, dinner had wrapped up, and Hercule’s family were saying their goodbyes to everyone.

        “Buu miss Pan!” the pink, cheerful creature said, bending over to pat her on her head. She happily leapt into his arms and gave him a pretty crushing hug, one that could give Buu’s own hugs a run for their money. It was kind of impressive.

        “Thanks for having us, Dad!” Videl said with a smile, giving him a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the embrace.

        “Aww, anytime you wanna visit your old man, you’re always welcome!” he crooned.

        You watched with a warm smile, ignoring the glare you were certain was there from Gohan. There wasn’t much of a point to questioning it for now, as you were sure either you’d figure it out eventually, or decide it didn’t even matter anymore.

        You waved them goodbye as they made their way back to their car, and closed the door. Glancing over, you saw Hercule seeming rather upset.

        “Are you… okay, Mr. Satan?” you asked quietly.

        He seemed caught off-guard by you, and quickly stammered. “Ah-! Yes, I’m alright!” he chuckled, before giving a sigh. “I just… I don’t know, maybe I wish Videl was my little girl again, y’know? It seemed like only yesterday, she was this feisty little thing with an attitude that could rival her old man’s. Now, she’s all grown up, married, and has a daughter as precious as her.”

        He hesitated for a moment, and quickly snapped out of his venting. “Sorry, (y/n)! I didn’t mean to go on like that!” he blurted, looking down in embarrassment of his tangent.

        You gave a small smile. “It’s okay, that was... very sweet, Mr. Satan.”

        His eyes rose up with a gentle smile. “Thanks… uh, could you do me a favor and  _ not  _ mention this? I have a reputation to maintain, and I can’t let the public hear about me getting all sappy like that.”

        “Your secret is safe with me” you chuckled. “Anyways, I got a kitchen to clean up and sleep to get.”

        “Yeah, much deserved sleep at that. You’ve been so busy trying to prepare a gourmet buffet for all of us today, you deserve a bit off a load off” he reckoned, before humming in his thoughts. “You know what? Consider tomorrow a day off!”

        You blinked. “Are you sure? I mean, it wasn’t that big of a deal for me, honest!” you said, trying to subtly decline his offer.

        “Nope! In the name of my good graces, and your perseverance in the kitchen, you’re taking tomorrow off! Do whatever you want! That’s final!” he boldly declared, placing his hands on his hips. With hesitation, you nodded and smiled. 

        “O-okay! Thank you so much, sir!” you replied gratefully, before heading back to was dishes and tidy up.

 

        You relaxed in bed, happy that the day was over, and tomorrow you didn’t have to do anything. You inhaled deeply, before contently exhaling. A contemplative frown crossed your face, you were still a little hung up on Gohan’s behavior, and a little more so towards the green stranger and his relationship to him. Truly something was up, and you wanted an explanation.

        Maybe, things would come to light eventually. For now though, you needed sleep, and no amount of green people and your boss’s son-in-laws could hinder you once you were in the sheets. Tomorrow was a new day that you had to yourself. Perhaps, you could do more to find your answers then.


	8. Reminiscent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader catches up with family! And some insight a little to her memory of the Z-fighters!

        You watched the world fly by you through the window of your seat, before shifting your eyes downwards to the photo on your phone. The group you had discovered both Hercule’s family and the green man were apart of. Your eyes shone with determination, you were hellbent on solving this conundrum.

        You had boarded the train northbound about half an hour ago, figuring perhaps you’d know someone who could help you identify these people; your parents. Unsure if they knew them personally or not, they were involved somehow. Your mother’s terrified gawking was reminiscent in the faces of a couple of the people you saw on your phone.

        You had rather wished they would get a cell phone or a computer, but they were quite happy without it. Focusing on their lives and their hobbies was something you couldn’t help but commend. Most people, yourself shamelessly included, were glued to the internet. Even if it meant they were often in the dark about certain events, they didn’t care. It was less they knew to be worried about in their eyes.

        Earlier, you had called them, given they at least had a landline, but just giving descriptions didn’t seem to jog their recollection, and they insisted you come show them if it was really that important to you. It seemed like a lot of tedious work for just a memory, but it would be worth it if you could no longer be in the dark.

        Along the way, however, you felt great tension. Most of the train wasn’t that occupied, seeing as your destination was a bit of a smaller town with far less residents than Satan City. Regardless, you felt like you weren’t alone, as if you you were somehow being watched. By now, though, you had come to suspect it was probably that same green guy as before, and it aggravated you how persistent his stalking seemed to be. You gave an annoyed scoff before plugging in your earphones, and playing music to drown away the unease.

 

        A gentle shake of your shoulder jolted you from your seat.

        “Bwah-! What is-?!” you almost screamed, anxiety building up. You were met with the concerned eyes of a train attendant.

        “Ma’am, I believe this is your stop” he calmly explained.

        “O-oh, thanks!” you chuckled embarrassed, before quickly getting off the train. “I guess I’d fallen asleep…” you muttered quietly to yourself, giving a small yawn.

        After renting a bicycle, you were pedaling your way through the town you grew up in. It was a homely community, where everyone knew everyone. You saw a few familiar faces, but you’d figure nobody would remember you. You’d been gone for a few years away at college, and even before then, you hadn’t really gotten to know these people. Hardly anybody was your age, which led you to being a pretty lonesome child. Almost all the people of your hometown were older folks who were just enjoying the little things in life.

        You reached the gravel path that led up to your old home. Nostalgia set in, and you felt at peace, despite knowing you were being watched. You weren’t letting this moment be ruined by that.

        Taking a deep breath, you parked your bike, and rang the doorbell.

        Nothing.

        You were about to try and call, before noticing a note on the floor of the porch, held down by a brick. Definitely your parents doing, they were odd like that sometimes. Kneeling down and picking it up to read, your eyes scanned the paper.

 

        “We had some errands to run, sorry honey! We’ll be home shortly!

        Love, Mom and Dad XO”

 

        You rolled your eyes with a smile and shook your head. “Dorks…” you muttered under your breath before leaning on the rail of the porch. You gazed around your yard, recounting the imaginary adventures you would have here.

        A small wooden sword hidden in the undergrowth caught your eye, and you gazed around. If your stalker saw, you didn’t care, screw him. Anybody else and you’d be done with life. Walking down to it, you picked it up and inspected it. A little rot to parts of the wooden blade here and there, but overall not too beaten up. Walking around to the backyard was another influx of nostalgia. Your old treehouse was still up, with quilts for curtains, and an oil lantern that had long gone out. As much as you were tempted, you weren’t about to break your leg trying to get up there. It was strange to imagine just how agile you used to be as a child with nothing to do.

        After glancing back to your sword for a moment, you let a cheesy grin crease your face. With a dramatic pose, you lined your blade to your dominant eye, pointing it outwards. With a swift lunge, you began sporadically slicing and dicing your invisible foes, occasionally muttering “Take this!” and “Take that!”

        A long, arduous battle as afoot. You against a million demons, but you weren’t about to back down now. Claws reached and raked at you, the sharp sting forcing painful shivers to course through your body. You winced, but quickly brushed it off, bringing your fiery blade to decapitate seven heads in a single swing. You impaled them, before bringing your blade upwards to send their upper torsos in half. Blood-curdling howls and screams engulfed you, and you only saw the dark red of their blood begin to slowly stain you and your own vision. They were beginning to take the upperhand, swarming you, and becoming far too close for you to fend them all off.

        It was time. Summoning all your might, you began to scream, feeling your power flow through you. An aura of energy surrounded you, as your scream began to echo through the void of the battlefield. You raised your sword upwards, having it point to the ground, before giving all your strength into sending it down. The ground began to crumble away upon impact, and a boom of energy blasted the demons off of you. Many of them either disintegrated, or fled with what life they had remaining.

        Out of breath, you panted heavily, dropping to a knee. Pain surged through your body. You still held the handle of the sword tightly in your grasp, blood dripping from your blade and body. You tried to keep yourself from blacking out after your high burst of power draining you, but alas, you couldn’t fight the temptation of death no longer.

        You let the darkness consume you.  
  


        “Oh, you haven’t changed one bit, (y/n)!” you heard a familiar voice call cheerfully, applauding your dramatic scene. Your face turned a vibrant red.

        “M-MOM?! H-how long were you there?!” you stuttered, trying to compose yourself.

        “Hmm, I’d reckon about the part you did your cute little war-cry, yeah!” she chuckled.

        Your face twisted, flustered over the debacle. “W-well… um, where’s Dad?”

        “Ah, he’s getting groceries inside, we should go help him. It’s too bad he wasn’t able to witness our daughter’s glorious stance against evil, haha!”

        You lightly scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Don’t tell him, please?”

        “Fine, fine!” she laughed, guiding the two of you around front to assist him. Once inside with the final load, you were pulled into a tight hug by your father.

        “My, how our little girl has grown! You seem a lot stronger now, too! You used to complain all the time my hugs were too tight!” you Dad exclaimed, enthused by your resilience.

        “That or you’re just getting old” your mother chimed.

        “Rich coming from you, hag!” your father quickly retorted, and the two glared at each other. However, the tense deadlock of their gazes was broken when the both of them lost it in a fit of laughter. You smiled and laughed, too. Your parents hadn’t changed whatsoever from your years out of the house.

        “Well, I don’t think I’ve gotten stronger, Dad. I’m just used to tighter hugs that could give you a run for your money!” you chuckled.

        “Oh? And who dares with _my_ daughter?!” he demanded.

        “J-just a friend! Honest!” you laughed nervously. To be fair, you weren’t lying, but there was no way you were spilling the beans about Buu. You knew that just living with and working for a world renown celebrity was a lot for them to handle, let alone the entire concept of Buu.  
  


        After about an hour of catching up with them, letting them know how working for Mr. Satan was, and etc., the point of you being there came to a head.

        “Alright, so, the picture I needed to show you guys…” you trailed off, unlocking your phone. “Here.”

        On screen, was the group photo that seemed to torment you. Your parents scanned everyone’s faces quietly, seeming rather intrigued and in deep thought. It made you rather nervous, what if they didn’t know? You didn’t have a back-up plan in the event of that. Thankfully, to your delightful surprise, your parents’ faces lit up simultaneously.

        “Oh, honey…” your mother quietly spoke. “You were so young… and honestly, we were so afraid!”

        Your face twisted in confusion. “Wh-what do you mean?”

        “Such a worldwide phenomenon! No matter your age, how could you forget?!” your father added.

        “Forget _what_?” you asked, a little more forcefully this time. Your parents shared a glance to each other, before looking back to you.

        “It must’ve been roughly 15 years ago?” your mother started, her thoughts coming together as she spoke. “I remember holding you so tight, so afraid as we watched on the television that we’d…” she trailed off solemnly, unable to finish her sentence.

        You blinked at her. Your father stepped in again, “That horrid monster threatened to blow up the whole planet! Yes, I remember now! Those guys in the photo were there to compete against him! I believe they’re known as the Z Warriors or something to that effect?”

        “Compete?” you questioned. The term ‘Z Warriors’ was a little reminiscent, too.

        There was a pause. Your mother quietly interjected the silence. “The Cell Games” she muttered bitterly.

        A pit formulated in your stomach, and it all came back to you. You couldn’t have been much older than 7 or 8 at the time. Your mother held you tight as you and your parents sat on the couch, watching the tournament that held the fate of the world on its shoulders. As young as you were, it was beyond you if it was real or not. There were many a monster movie in your life with dire consequences on the line, but by gaging your parents’ reactions, the events of the Cell Games were very real.

        “Thankfully, Mr. Satan was able to save us all…” your father spoke, pulling you from your memory. “You work for a great man, (y/n). We all owe him our lives. Numerous of times actually.”

        You remembered the all the other stories circulating your boss, and how he triumphed over all. It was kind of warming to know what a hero you had the pleasure of meeting, let alone working for. However, it didn’t subdue the confusing thoughts in your head. The guys in the photo tried to aid Hercule in his battle with Cell, and from the televised event is were your memory of them stemmed. Still, how did this relate to what was happening now? Why did Gohan act the way he did around you? Why did this green guy suspect something of you?

        Wait.

        A small realization came to light for you. Gohan and the green guy were both Z Fighters, and you remembered Cell’s summary of how he encountered them more recently. He was harboring an affinity of vengeance against them, but, he never mentioned Mr. Satan. You’d figure that if Mr. Satan dealt the final blow, you’d hear more mention, or any mention rather, of him from Cell during his stay with you, but he didn’t. Perhaps, you’d ask Satan a little later about his account of the Cell Games.

        Furthermore, the green guy seemed persistent on knowing of someone strange you had encountered. You were positive now he was referring to Cell, but why? You were almost positive nobody knew that you had contact with him, and even let him stay with you for a short period of time. You were hardly ever in public with the guy, being very strict about him not being seen, so how could anyone suspect you?  
  


        “Is everything okay, (y/n)?” your mother softly spoke, pulling you away from your internal investigation.

        “Uh, y-yeah, I’m okay. It’s just kind of a bad memory, y’know?” you chuckled, not really wanting to indulge her on the big picture of what your real problem was currently.

        She pulled you into a gentle, yet firm embrace. “Don’t worry sweetie, he’s gone forever now. Mr. Satan made sure of that!”

        Oh boy, if only she knew how very present he was, or how he actually set up camp with you about a month ago. Sure of how quickly that conversation would go south, you decided it would be for the better not to mention.

        “I know, I know” you chuckled.

        Well, you had something now; knowledge of who these guys were and how you remembered them. It seemed a little too coincidental that they were from the Cell Games. Somehow, Cell was very involved in this whole thing, and you needed to get to the bottom of it. Whatever was going on, it might be a little more serious than you initially thought. You figured that now, you needed to contact Cell, however the hell you even could. Didn’t he say he’d check on you before he disappeared? Perhaps he should do that soon since now you kinda needed answers from him.

        “Well, I’ll be on my way now. Thanks for letting me visit” you said gratefully, smiling at your parents.

        “Letting you visit? You’re our daughter! We’d let you live here again if you ever needed it!” your father teased.

        The two of them pulled you into a tight hug, and you returned the warm embrace.

        “I love you guys!”

        “We love you, too, (y/n).”  
  


        On the train ride back to Hercule’s, you sighed. You felt rather bad for leaving them so soon after rarely visiting, let alone calling unless you needed something. Now, however, you legitimately felt the need to distance yourself from them for a while. If something was going on between you, Cell, and the Z Fighters, you wanted your family completely safe. Even if you had no idea what was even happening. Maybe it was cruel, and a bit over dramatic, but it felt right.

        Once everything was resolved, maybe things could go back to normal. It was wishful thinking, anyways.


	9. Busted and Saved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another late chapter, enjoy ^^'

        You quietly sat at the table with Buu gorging himself on multiple cups of instant ramen. Appreciative of your dinner efforts from the night prior, Buu was very generous as to let you have at least one, with a little extra persuasion by both you and Hercule of course. Bee and Pokey rested together under the table, catching whatever Buu let fall to the floor. Still, however, you felt rather stumped in your little micro-investigation.

        Glancing up, Hercule was typing on his phone in one hand, and eating ramen with the other. Even though you weren’t sure if it were appropriate to ask, you felt like he would have some answers you sought for. Now was probably the best time, too. He was always busy with his lifestyle, so being able to catch him both at home and awake wasn’t common.

        Taking a silent, deep breath, you asked, “So… Mr. Satan… can I ask you something, that might be, I don’t know… personal?”

        “Well, that depends, how personal are we talkin’?” he replied coolly, not bothering to remove his eyes from his device.

        “Um, the Cell Games, sir?”

        Hercule almost practically dropped his phone in his ramen cup, catching it quickly. He seemed rather caught off guard by you, and the atmosphere was quickly tense. So tense, in fact, that even Buu bothered to look up curiously from his piles of ramen.

        “Uh... What about it?” he asked nervously.

        “...what happened?”

        There was only silence between you all, until Buu got bored and loudly began feasting away again.

        Hercule gave a forced cough. “W-well, the bug looked like he was gonna take victory on camera! But then, when all was dark, and hope seemed lost, and the others were losing, I rose above the very definition of heroism, and gave him a good ole’ fashion-!” he declared, and demonstrated his final move on Cell. A battle stance and technique you've heard him describe a million times on talk shows and seen acted in some of his movies.

        You blinked and gave a small smile. “Is that...it?”

        “You better believe it is! It was a grand battle that was just too good to be on air! It’s a good thing I’m still around to tell the tale of such an epic feat!” he laughed proudly. You couldn’t help but laugh with him. Calming down a little, you glanced to your boss, who seemed to had gone completely pale.

        “M-Mr. Satan?” you asked.

        He didn’t respond, and even Buu prompted to look up from his pile. Pokey ran, but Bee got up, and took a defensive stance beside Hercule. Everyone was staring behind you, and it made your heart drop to even think who it was.

        A hand gripped your shoulder, and in a flash, everyone disappeared.

 

        You regathered yourself and your surrounds, quickly looking around. You appeared to be in a rather remote field, almost completely devoid of life, save for yourself and your unexpected company. Turning around, you were quite shocked to see a rather pissed looking Cell.

        “What the hell is wrong with you?!” he snapped, towering you with narrowed eyes, his arms down and hands in clenched fists.

        You blinked in confusion. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

        “Your energy, you fool! Don’t you have the common sense to hide it?!”

        You weren’t quite sure how to reply to that one, only offering a further perplexed expression. He growled lowly and leaned back from you, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

        “You genuinely have no idea what’s happened, do you?” he scoffed.

        “Not a clue. Could you at least tell me what’s going on? Where the hell are we?!” you retorted.

        He sighed. “Far away enough that we should have a few minutes to talk. It won’t be long before they come after _your_ signature.”

        “Who’s coming after my _what_?”

        “Your energy. It seems mine from when I resided with you is still lingering with yours. That’s why, if you haven’t noticed, you’ve been a suspect of conspiracy” he explained. “I’ve kept mine hidden as to avoid an early, undesired confrontation. So whenever they look for me, they find you instead. Admittedly, it’s been amusing to observe their dead-end goose chases!” he chuckled lowly.

        It hit you now why Gohan and the green guy acted the way did towards you. It was because of Cell’s energy still present with you.

        “So, let me get this straight now. You’re blaming _me_ for having _your_ energy?” you asked, placing your hands on your hips defensively.

        “I’m blaming _you_ for not suppressing it. However, in light of the fact you lack such a basic skill, I suppose I can revoke the blame. Yes, in fact, I’ll just blame you for being incompetent instead” he sneered.

        “Well, I blame you since it’s _your_ energy!” you spat back. “For someone on a bit of a time crunch, you sure are taking the time to take unnecessary digs at me!”

        “In honesty, I haven’t forgotten how entertaining you can be, that’s all” he chuckled, giving a smug grin.

        You rolled your eyes, before a small realization hit you. “Wait, how am I supposed to go back? Mr. Satan and Buu saw you! What am I supposed to tell them after they watched you take me like that?”

        He apathetically shrugged. “That’s really not my problem, now is it?”

        You furrowed your brow at him, slightly taken aback. To be fair, you weren’t sure what you expected from him, but certainly not when your time to talk was limited.

        “Of course it is! If I get wrapped up in something because of you, then I’m taking you under the bus with me!” you threatened, crossing your arms.

        He shot a sharp glare your way, but quickly give an amused smirk. “Oh, and how do you suppose that’s going to happen?”

        With a confident smile creasing your face, you gave an exaggerated cough to clear your throat, before you performed your heart out.

        “SOMEBODY HELP ME, PLEASE! I CAN’T ESCAPE, HELP-!” you dramatically screamed as loud as possible, only to be quickly silenced. One arm secured you in place while he used his hand to cover your mouth, muffling any sound. He quickly shifted his eyes all around your surroundings, before snapping his annoyed gaze to you.

        “What the hell was that?!” he spat. You pried his hand off your mouth before glaring up at him.

        “You asked how I was gonna do it” you retorted.

        He raised a brow. “You’re just going to play victim? That’s your great plan?”

        “Mhm. I feel like odds are stacked far against you should that happen. Just a hunch, but I don’t think they’ll believe a word you say given your, uh, relationship with them.”

        He narrowed his eyes sternly at you before releasing his grip. Suddenly, his eyes made a hasty shift to his left, and his head followed suit. You could practically feel him get tense.

        “Tch, they’re coming…” he muttered. He close his eyes and gripped your shoulder in one hand, and put two fingers to his forehead with the other. After a moment, he glared back down to you. “No threat is there right now. I’m taking you back where I found you.” Before you could respond, the flash consumed you both.

 

        Once things cleared over, you were back in Mr. Satan’s mansion, this time however, it was your own room. You rubbed an eye before looking up at him, only to see him rather perplexed by your choice of interior design. He didn’t seem quite familiar with fairy-lights and sheer bed curtains, let alone approve it. As he gazed around, he sat on the foot of your bed rather engulfed by your room’s decor.

 

        “How bizarre…” he muttered quietly.

        “Hey…!” you whispered to him, drawing his attention back to you. “So seriously, what are we going to do?”

        “I’m going to leave, and you’re going to learn to suppress your energy.”

        “First of all, I don’t even know a thing about my “energy”, and secondly, I mean, how am I going to explain this situation to everyone?!”

        He gripped his chin and gazed downward in thought, before glaring up at you with a sigh. “I’ll train you.”

        “You… will?” you asked, rather intrigued by the idea of that.

        He nodded. “Though, it may be rather difficult. They’re going to follow my energy, and with mine currently hidden, it’s going to lead directly to you instead.”

        “It would probably be easier if you didn’t show up in front of people like that!” you retorted. He only offered a smile.

        “I sensed a powerful energy here that I had no yet acquainted myself to, so I was rather intrigued to witness him myself.”

        You raised a brow. “I thought you already met Mr. Satan?”

        “Mr.- who?” he asked, his face twisting.

        “The guy who, y’know, beat you? My boss?”

        He blinked a few times, before his eyes went wide, and you swear you’ve never seen a bigger grin from the likes of him. Seeing him about to burst, you had to practically throw yourself at him and clasp your hands over his mouth to silence his thunderous laughter.

        “Shut up!” you silently scolded, his jubilant laugh vibrating against your palms. You swear you could almost see tears pricking in the corners of his eyes, he was so amused. Once he settled, he glared at your hands, realizing what was going on. He narrowed his eyes at you as he firmly gripped both of your wrists and pulled them away.

        “If you hadn’t noticed by my… _reaction_ …” he stated with a subtle cough,”That guy wasn’t the one who defeated me” he explained, giving a small cough.

        “I mean, I suppose I coulda guessed that, but, it’s all anyone really knows. Everyone believes it was him, and so did I. But, if _he_ didn’t do it, who did?”

        He gave you another sharp glare, as if trying to determine whether or not you were being honest. “As disgusted as I am to admit it, it was Gohan. But, a younger yet stronger form of his upon taking the life of his father, Goku. Evidently, he’s been back for some time”

        Your heart sank upon hearing his name, as you were fully aware of his nature around you. It also added a little more to Gohan’s reasoning for his behavior. You were hanging around the murderer of many, including his own family. With something like that, you could understand his concerns with you.

        You sighed, remembering yet again you had to make an excuse for whenever you needed to explain things. You crossed your arms in thought, before an idea hit you.

        “What if you just became good?”

        “Excuse me?” he growled lowly.

        “Y’know, reform and make amends and all that?”

        He gave a very spiteful frown, clearly not all that supportive of your suggestion. “If you expect me to change to appease them just to keep you safe from their suspicions, I’ve overestimated your intelligence. Which isn’t saying too much, I suppose.”

        Ignoring his insult as you’ve learned to do, you continued to press the matter. “I mean, you don’t have to _actually_ change, but at least convince them you have. Then, you won’t have to hide. You can just train, maybe even with them, and become stronger that way! Once you’re satisfied with your power, you can, well, do whatever you intended to, I guess” you explained, giving a rather drained sigh at the end upon remembering Cell’s true intentions. You gazed up to see him seeming rather thoughtful of your idea, even if it was as enthusiastic as you’d like.

        “And how does it benefit you should I hit my desired level and continue with my own agenda?” he asked sternly, glaring back up to you.

        “Well, I’d be just as betrayed as them I suppose, seeing how _I’m_ gonna be the one guiding you on the road to redemption!” you said beaming, offering a thumbs up to him. He didn’t seem all that optimistic like you.

        He gave an annoyed groan as he covered a hand over his face. “I can’t believe you’ve seriously managed to make me consider this…” he grumbled.

        You sat beside him and playfully leaned on him. “Come on! It’s the _perfect strategy_!” you teased, mocking his voice. He quickly sat up, letting you drop to the empty, warm space where he once sat.

        “I’m pretty sure I’ve recommended not doing that horrendous impression of me. It tarnishes my image in the minorest, yet most infuriating of ways” he practically hissed.

        You rolled your eyes, before sitting back up right. “Okay, okay, but I really mean it! This could work and things would be so much easier for both of us! Please go along with this!”

        He only gave a scoff and turned his head away, folding his arms. You practically got on your knees and clasped your hands together.

        “Pleeeease! I’m begging! You have to-!” you were cut off by your bedroom door swinging open to reveal Gohan, along with the green guy and Mr. Satan, who displayed a fear you’ve never seen from him before. You felt a deep pit in your stomach formulate, staring like a deer in headlights at the sudden gathering. Cell seemed rather caught off-guard, silently cursing himself and you for getting distracted. He uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists, taking a defensive pose as you felt that familiar static in the air circulate.

        “No, go ahead, (y/n)” Gohan began quietly, “He has to do what?”

        “I, uh, erm…” you stuttered, almost too afraid to say a thing, “...train me?”

        Gohan’s expression quickly went from anger to confusion. “Train? Why would such a selfish bastard be bothered to train anybody?” he questioned. You were practically given the biggest shovel of all time to continue to dig yourself deeper in this hole you were in. Before you could even think of an excuse to defend your case, a strand of hope offered itself to you.

        “It’s compensation for her aligning me on the path of reformation” Cell coolly said. You blinked at him in awe, and managed to crack a weak smile at him, though he kept his eyes on the small group before the two of you.

        “After your attempted attack on my father almost two months ago? I don’t buy that for a second” Gohan retorted.

        “Hmm, yes, I don’t expect you to” Cell gave an apathetic sigh, “Admittedly, I was rather enraged upon my revival, so I sought vengeance for my death. I was blinded by rage you could say, but now that I’ve had time to think about it, I decided that change was for the better. Besides, Gohan, if I still had ill intentions, I don’t think you could stand up to me anymore in your current state. Yes, you’ve been slacking, I can sense it. If I really wanted, I could easily kill you right now.” There was a spine-chilling tone to his threat on Gohan. He paused for a moment, cursing under his breath. Cell’s point was clear to him, though he didn’t seem to know how he should respond.

        “So why her? Why did you drag some woman into all this?” The green guy muttered.

        “Oh? She was merely by chance, Piccolo. I was recovering from our last encounter, and she just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Her hospitality towards me in such a vulnerable state helped open my eyes” he explained with a slight smirk. You noted that from now on, you no longer had to refer to Piccolo as “the green guy.”

        Crossing his arms, Piccolo scoffed. He glanced down to Gohan, “It’s your call, though if you want my opinion, I don’t believe him for a second.”

        “Yeah, me neither, but really what choice do we have? If my father or anyone else currently stronger than him gets here, Cell can just instant transmission away and hide his energy. We’ll be right back at square one, only able to sense him from someone else” he explained, gesturing to you. “But, if there is a chance he’s being honest…”

        He couldn’t seem quite able to finish his sentence. There was long pause as Gohan went through his thoughts. He glared up at Cell, who seemed rather confident in his case.

        “You’ll be monitored. 24/7. Once I’m 100% convinced that you’re trying to change, or are changed, I’ll trust you. But, if you mess things up or do something bad, it’ll be over for you before you can even think about apologizing.”

        Giving a slight shrug, Cell chuckled, “Those conditions are fine by me, however, in the hypothetical that I would go back on my words, I don’t think I’d consider an apology anyways.”

        Gohan rolled his eyes and glanced to you. “(Y/n), I’d like to believe you genuinely want to lead him on the right path, but such hope for someone like him? It’s just hard for me to understand, let alone seeing it come to fruition. Please, do your best, and if you feel like you’re in danger, don’t hesitate to come to any of us, okay?”

        You blinked a few times, before giving an enthused nod. “Y-Yes sir!”

        He gave a small smile, “You can just call me Gohan, okay?”

        “O-Okay. Yes, Gohan!” you stuttered. It was a rather unexpected change of demeanor from him towards you, but it was nice and sincere.

        He shot Cell a quick, sharp glare, before leaving the room. Piccolo stood there with arms crossed, his stern eyes hopping from you to Cell and back.

        “Don’t make us regret this, (y/n)” he bitterly retorted, leaving as well. Only Mr. Satan remained. He seemed rather caught off-guard to be the only one still there.

        “I, uh, I’m just gonna… Yeah…” he quietly spoke, dismissing himself and closing the door on his way out.

        With a long, drawn out sigh of relief, you sat back and leaned against the foot of your bed, closing your eyes. You couldn’t hide the joy you felt from actually getting through this confrontation, as evident in the smile that creased your face. Upon opening your eyes, Cell was leaned over and face to face with you, catching you by silent surprise.

        “You can spend some time thinking about how you’re going to pay your debt to me for that” he coldly scoffed. Before you could respond, he lifted you from the floor, holding you close with only only his arm around your waist. Bringing two fingers to his forehead, he flashes the two of you away. Once you came to, you were in a large field of green, surrounded by trees and hills in all directions. You gave him a confused look, only to be carelessly dropped.

        “Until then, however, we’re going to train.”

        Nothing could’ve prepared you for the rodeo that training with this guy was gonna be.


	10. Ki and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally reader gets some decent Cell interactions after the bug went on hiatus!

        “Come on, this isn’t fair at all!” you choked out, panting heavily as your eyes shifted wildly all around, trying to locate your opponent.

        “Fairness won’t matter in real battle, dear!” he taunted. It was frustrating how his voice echoed in such a way you couldn’t pinpoint. It was as if he was all around you, yet you couldn’t see him.

        You gritted your teeth, crossing your arms in front of your head defensively. All was eerily still as you tried hard to find him. You were only becoming more and more frustrated. A twig snapped to your left and you swiftly turned to face him, only to be hit from your unguarded right side. You landed to the ground with a thud, wincing at the pain. You glared up at him, and he glared back down with his arms crossed and that shit-eating grin.

        “What the hell am I supposed to do when you go and do that?” you complained.

        “Well, the idea is for you to find my direction of attack based on my energy signature, not distractive sounds.”

        You cursed under your breath as you sat on the ground and pouted at him. “Are you sure this whole energy business isn’t a little too advanced for me currently? Just show me how to throw a solid punch or something!”

        He rolled his eyes before sitting on the ground in front of you. “Most humans don’t rely on ki in combat. In fact, the majority is about as inept as yourself-”

        “I’m sorry, ki?” you interrupted.

        He paused for a moment. “It’s just a synonym for energy in the definition I’m using it for. Every living entity possesses ki, though not everyone utilizes it to it’s potential. Humans don’t tend to be born with the ability to manipulate it, despite having it deep within their reserves. It’s something that has to be trained to control and use efficiently.”

        “I-I think I get it?” you pondered, tilting your head to think on it. “Sorry, you just kinda dumped a lot of information on me, and half of it I’m not entirely getting!” you chuckled nervously.

        “Which is why I’d prefer demonstrating as opposed to explaining” he muttered. With that, he brought open hands to his lap and placed his wrists together. You felt that familiar static sensation in the air, only it seemed far more concentrated to his hands. A small ball of electric light began to flicker into existence, leaving you rather mesmerized.

        “This is my ki, but for your comprehension sake, we’ll simply stick to the term energy. It’s a part of me that I am able to manifest into becoming my abilities, be it flight, attacks, or any other techniques I am capable of.” With that, he began allowing it to move around between his palms in a variety of directions.

        You blinked for a moment, still entranced by its glow. “So, you said humans have this stuff inside them, too, right? Does that mean I could do that?”

        He gave a confirming nod, before letting the orb of light fade away. “Perhaps it’s cruel, but I much prefer pushing you to the point of grasping it through combat. Being pushed so far to the edge that a surge of power gives you enough strength to survive. It’s that kind of intense training I’m favorable of, though for the likes of you, may be rather too extreme. I suppose there’s simply one way to find out” he chuckled.

        “W-wait, you mean I could do what you just did through other means? Maybe even one that’s, uh, less violent?” you stammered.

        “Mhm, but what fun is that? Besides, even if you don’t grasp energy right away, perhaps you’ll pick up basic techniques considered advanced for your simple race.”

        “And if I refuse to play along with your plan?” you grunted, standing up and crossing your arms.

        He glared up at you with a smug smile. “I’ll refuse to play along with _your_ plan.”

        You scoffed and glared away. Surely, over something as petty as this, he wouldn’t go back on his reformation, would he? Or, at least his fake reformation plan. You decided you would rather not leave it to chance, and gave a defeated sigh. “Fine. Just, try to go easy on me, please?”

        “Trust me, I’ve been” he chuckled, standing back up as well.

        “Yeah, okay, whatever” you groaned, rolling your eyes.

 

        After the long day of training, you had quite a few band-aids on your hands and a few bruises here and there. Dinner that night was probably one of the most awkward dinners of your life. You sat in your seat, quietly eating from a simple yet savory meal you had cooked for everyone. Everything was relatively the same with yourself, Buu, and Mr. Satan dining, except tonight you had an additional guest joining the three of you, and he didn’t seem bothered at all by his own self-invitation.

        “So…rumor has it you made a movie about my Cell Games. Is that so?” he casually asked, curiously poking and picking his food with his fingers. You immediately dropped your fork and hid your embarrassed face in your hands.

        Mr. Satan, practically sweating bullets, gave a nervous chuckle. “Ah, uh, y-yeah?”

        “How flattering! I’d love to see it sometime!” he cooed, offering a rather fake grin to the poor guy.

        “Ah-! W-well, I don’t think you’d, uh, really care for it! After all, it’s not the real fight y’know? Sometimes, um, film adaptations don’t hold a candle to the glory of the real battle!” he stammered quickly.

        “Oh? Well, I don’t expect a perfect recreation. A few embellishments I can forgive!” he mused.

        “Ah-I, uh…!?” Mr. Satan was at a loss for words. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d get out of this one, and he shot you pleading glances to help him. You sighed.

        “Well, maybe another time. I’m tired after today, so I’m gonna call it in early. So, uh, Cell, you should probably go and come back whenever you feel like training me again, alright?”

        He gave an exaggerated groan. “How pathetic that-”

        “Buu tired, too!” the pink creature announced, scaring the ever loving hell out of you and Hercule. Even Cell seemed rather caught off-guard, shooting the guy a disoriented glare. Buu’s eating had become such white noise to conversation prior, nobody was ready for him to interject, and at his volume no less.

        Getting out of his seat, Buu cheerfully waltzed his way over to the living room. Even though there were numerous guest bedrooms, Buu seemed quite content on taking the big sectional in Hercule’s den. Cell continued to focus his attention on him until he was out of sight, before then returning his gaze towards you and Hercule.

        “How curious that guy is, I’d like to challenge him sometime” he muttered.

        “Oh yeah? Think you could beat him?” you teased.

        He narrowed his eyes at you. “Absolutely. You think a pudgy, pink blob could best me in a test of power?”

        “I don’t know, maybe?”

        With that, he stood, shoving the table forward in the process, and glared down at you. “No! There is no _maybe_! I would definitely be victorious!” he scowled. With that, Mr. Satan silently left the table. It was probably for the best given the temper tantrum Cell seemed to be on the verge of.

        “Okay, okay, calm down!” you chuckled quietly.

        He crossed his arms and looked away, in thought for a moment, before giving a small smirk and gazing back to you. “I know, I’ll just stay here tonight!” he chuckled.

        “Wha- no? Why?”

         “Because I’m well aware that my presence here isn’t entirely welcome. So, seeing as you find entertainment in riling me up, I’ll just return the favor and do something you don’t like. It only seems fair.”

        You glared at him, trying to find ways to convince him he couldn’t. “Well, Buu already has dibs on the couch, and I don’t know if there’s a guest bed here big enough for you!” That was a blatant lie, and you knew it. Mr. Satan had some of the grandest beds you’ve ever seen, but Cell didn’t need to know that.

        “That’s fine, I can make do with yours.”

        “You- no?!” you yelled. Despite Cell clearly not intending it to sound that way, it totally did, and you were doing your best to repress yourself from getting flustered about it.

        “Well, see you in the morning, (y/n)!” he cooed, before disappearing with a wink.

        Oh, hell no.

        You ran out of the kitchen and raced up the stairs that led to your room. No way was he seriously that petty. Borderline breaking down the door, you busted in to see the fucker occupying the bedspace with the entirety of his being. Rested on his stomach and head relaxed on folded arms, he gave you a shit eating smirk before closing his eyes.

        “No, no, no” you groaned, marching up to him. “We’re not doing this.” You got around to try and pull him off, but he was heavy as lead. After you gave that method up, he allowed his wingspan to open up just enough to cover as much of the bed as he could. This dickhead.

        You crossed your arms and gave a defeated sigh. “Fine, I’ll just sleep in another room I guess.”

        He sat upright and frowned at you. “Oh? That’s no fun.”

        “What isn’t fun is you acting like a petty child and jacking my shit” you retorted.

        He rolled his eyes and thought for a moment. He then scooted to the far side of the of the bed. “There.”

        “What, you expect me to just-” you couldn’t even finish your statement, you were pinching the bridge of your nose frustrated, and slightly flustered again.

        “Your choice, I’m finished playing. Goodnight” he scoffed quietly, before rolling over onto his side, his back to you.

        You frowned. You _really_ liked your own bed, but you’d hate to have to share it, with the likes of Cell no less. Though, it was rather nice for his standards to offer to at least make room for you, even if it should’ve been all for you from the beginning. With a defeated sigh, you carefully crawled into bed, keeping as far to your edge as you could. Thankfully, your bed was king-sized, so despite Cell’s larger build, you still had at least had enough room to sleep comfortably. With your back to his, you turned out your lights, and closed your eyes. Despite the weirdness that was having a giant bug man in the same bed as you, you were able to calmly fall asleep.

 

        You gave a soft yawn, slowly letting yourself peacefully wake up. You tried to embrace your own pillow, but were rather disoriented upon not finding it. As a matter in fact, your head seemed to be resting on something far more solid than you remember your pillow being. You opened your eyes to see something black and glistening in the morning sunrays cast. Lifting your head, your face practically went from pale to a shade of red.

        You had been embracing a sleeping Cell.

        Unsure how to feel, you slowly and carefully tried to crawl out of bed as to not disturb him. To your surprise, so much that you had to quickly silence your startled yelp, his arm went to rest over his midsection, however, he took you with him. You were locked in his embrace as he continued to sleep, unaware of his own actions.

        “Cell!” you whispered to him, trying to wake him calmly. He didn’t budge. “Cell! Wake up!” you tried again. This time, you watched his eyes slowly open and look around the ceiling, still not entirely up.

        “Hmm?” he calmly replied, bringing his free hand to rub his face.

        “Can you, um, let me go?” you whispered. He slowly looked down his body to see his arm holding you to him. His eyes shot open and you swear you saw a hint of pink on his typically pale skin. You got a little more than you asked for, with an additional rough push that forced you off the side of the bed.

        “What the hell were you on me for?!” he snarled, glaring down at you from the bed.

        Rubbing your back, you winced lightly at the subtle pain from the fall. “You had your arm wrapped around me, you idiot!” you snapped back.

        He folded his arms and looked away. “Yeah, whatever!”

        You stood up and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing your eyes. This was certainly one way to wake up, you supposed. You glanced over at his direction, and he quickly shifted his gaze away, still pouting and giving you the cold shoulder.

        “Uh…” you quietly spoke up. “No matter who did what, can we just agree to never bring it up again? _Really_ don’t want assumptions to be made…”

        “Hmmph. Agreed. Doesn’t mean I forgive you” he coldly stated.

        You rolled your eyes, and without hesitation, grabbed a pillow and thwacked him on the back of his… crown, thing. Taking the blow, his head lightly lurched forward in surprise and he glared at you.

        “The hell?!” he snarled.

        You smirked. “Forgive me, yet?”

        He blinked for a moment, before grinning menacingly and reaching for a pillow himself. Despite it just being a pillow, you were genuinely intimidated. You knew he was gonna hit hard, and boy did he straight up launch it at you. Back on the floor after being knocked off again, he laughed down at you.

        “I suppose I can forgive you now” he teased.

        “Well, now I can’t forgive you” you retorted, sitting up and pouting with arms crossed.

        “You’re so easy to mess with!” he laughed, before extending an arm to help you up. You glanced at it, before glaring back up at him with a brow raised.

        “Just take it before I change my mind.” Rolling your eyes, you took his hand, and he effortlessly lifted you to your feet. “See? That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? Forgive me, yet?” he asked with a mock apologetic tone.

        You crossed your arms again and looked away, trying to hide the smile that was creasing your face. “Fine. We’re even, I guess.”

        “Perfect. Now that that’s settled, we’re training.”

        You blinked in slight disbelief. “What, so early? We just woke up?”

        “And?”

        “Ugh, nevermind, just get out so I can change, ok? I’ll be out in five” you stated, knowing that there was probably no point in protesting given his stubbornness. Might as well not even bother, you figured. He got out of your bed quietly, and teleported out of sight. It only took a few seconds for chaos to sound throughout the rest of the house, and you groaned, opting to just stay out of it. It was probably harmless, or at least mostly, you hoped.

        You looked up and saw your own reflection in the mirror of your vanity. Blinking a few times at yourself, you gave a soft smile. Being honest with yourself, you never expected to find your life going this way; working for a world-renowned celebrity martial artist, meeting some strange people, and even becoming positively acquainted to a dangerous former killing machine. It kind of boggled your mind that this guy had intentions of destroying your planet without a second thought sometimes. When you get to know him, he’s actually just a big dork, and it’s kinda great. Being even more honest with yourself, you actually enjoyed his company, though you’d never admit it.

        Things were okay.


	11. Training / Thrillers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I totally planned to upload this last night, but I lost power! Sorry you guys <3 Enjoy the update!

        Beads of sweat trailed from your forehead as you gave exasperated gasps for air. Your lungs burned, and you felt as though your body would simply give out. It had been a week of working on your defense skills, specifically by trying to sense Cell and from where his oncoming attacks were coming from. However, when you still weren’t showing signs of being able to sense him in this practice, he changed up the game to put you on the offensive instead. Besides, band-aids had upgraded to bandage wraps around your torso and arms, and he seemed to take a sense of pity on you.

        “Oh, come on! You aren’t even trying to strike me anymore, you're just flailing your arms like a frustrated child!” he scolded, effortlessly bounding backwards and out of reach of your swinging fists.

        You panted and furrowed your brow at him, your body yearning for you to give up. “How the hell…” you paused to regain some breath, “...am I supposed to get anything out of this?!”

        “You need composure and control, or else you _won’t_ get anything but a sore body. All of your swings are aimless and pitiful, I want real effort or I’ll be most disappointed!” he spat.

        He was very different when you trained with him, full of harsh discipline you’d expect from drill sergeants. However, when he crashed at Hercule’s simply because he wanted to cause hell, he was full of simply harsh banter. All bark with no bite, though his bark could dig very deep if he so chose.

        You gritted your teeth, longing to just sit down for a moment. Feeling your knees weaken, you began to collapse to them, only for a rough grip on the back of your shirt to keep you from falling. Glancing up at him, he only returned with a displeased frown.

        “You will _not_ fall down anymore. I won’t allow that” he practically growled. You gave an annoyed groan, before trying to stabilize yourself to your feet again. He released you and crossed his arms, standing boldly before you. Your hands clenched to tight fists, and with what little energy you had left, you quickly reeled back your arm and took a swing, only for your balled up hand to be caught like it was nothing. He raised a brow at you.

        “This is it? This is all you can do now? How pathetic” he muttered. You continued to pant and sweat, and you still wanted nothing more than to stop. You were beyond exhausted.

        “I don’t think… I can do this… anymore” you huffed.

        His eyes narrowed at you, and you were knocked back by what you could only describe as a wave of energy. Your back painfully hit the ground, and your voice hitched as you tried to sit up. Looking up in slight shock, he slowly started to walk towards you, the bizarre squeaking of his feet ringing in your ears.

        “If you give up now, then I’ll go back on my word as well. I will not hesitate to eradicate everything that this planet, and by extension, this _galaxy_ has to offer. I will throw away any shred of compassion or empathy that I am capable of manifesting. And to begin, I will start with the weakling in front of me. Do I make myself clear?”

        By the end of his point, he was towering over you, and for a moment, you were just as intimidated by him the first time you encountered him. You almost wanted to tremble when granted this taxing ultimatum, but instead you slowly brought yourself to your feet and smiled at him.

        “Crystal. But, you shouldn’t make empty threats like that” you teased.

        “Empty threats? What are you talking about?” he questioned lowly.

        “Not that you’ll admit it, but I’d say you still appreciate me too much to kill me” you boasted, crossing your arms confidently.

        He blinked for a moment before smirking. “You want to test that?”

        You twitched lightly, and glared off. “Um… no thanks, but you know I’m right. I’ve been bending over backwards and going far out of my usual comfort zone for you, and I know that you know it, too. Hell, before you left my apartment that day, you thanked me for showing-”

        A hand firmly grasped over your mouth as he rolled his eyes and silenced you. “Enough talking already! You’d think with all that snark in your words, it’d amount to anything in your training. If you can poke a stick at a wasp nest, you best be able to handle the sting.”

        You blinked for a moment, before having an idea that didn’t need to stay for long to be acted upon. With a swift lunge of your shin, you aimed right for his waist, and much to both of your surprise, you made hard contact. His eyes widened as he released his grasp and glared down at your leg. He didn’t move much against the force of your kick, only slightly leaning against it, but it still seemed to stun him.

        “My, my…” he practically purred, giving a delighted smile. “It seems you’re starting to improve after all. Did my “empty threat” give you better incentive to try harder?”

        “Nah, you’re pretty vulnerable when you’re being condescending” you chuckled.

        “Tch, strange way of pronouncing _honest_. But, admittedly, you’re not entirely wrong. It’s a combat fallacy to drop your guard based on underestimation.”

        You raised a brow and smiled, crossing your arms. “Yeah? How unlike you to own up to your flaws like that. I’m very proud of you.”

        He turned his back and crossed his arms, giving an annoyed scoff. “Whatever.”

        You shook your head, and repressed a laugh. Despite the sarcastic tone you delivered, you were genuinely surprised with his response. “Well, I think we should call it a day today, huh?” you asked.

        He glared down at you and gave a low, defeated sigh. “The moment there’s a glimmer of potential shining through, you want to stop. You’re hopeless, you know that?”

        All you could reply with was a nervous laugh, before he rolled his eyes and teleported the two of you away.

 

        Later that evening, you were at the stove you’d kill to have when you had your own place again. Everything at Hercule’s home was over the top, lavish, and luxurious, _especially_ his kitchen. You promised yourself to save up for even a slice of this lifestyle that Hercule had.

        Preparing a meal for everyone, you felt a gentle vibration in your pocket. Pulling your phone out, you were quite surprised to see an old face ringing you up.

        “Hey, Jax, what’s up?” you asked, letting the phone snug between your cheek and shoulder as you continued to cook.

        “Hey, (y/n)! Long time, no see, haha! So where the heck did you go after college? You kinda disappeared and didn’t tell me a thing!” he exclaimed.

        “Oh!” you mentally slapped yourself. “Sorry, I completely forgot to tell you! I got a little, uh, sidetracked with things” you chuckled embarrassedly. A loud thud and crash echoed from the dining room, and you opted to ignore it, hoping both Jax didn’t hear it, and that whatever was going on would resolve itself. That sort of thing became the new norm to you on behalf of Buu, and now apparently Cell. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice it.

        “Well, what’d you forget to say?” he prodded, his curiosity practically oozing from your speakers.

        “Well, I got a new job as a housekeeper. Take a wild guess for who?” you teased.

        “Man, I don’t know? Just tell me!”

        “You’re no fun!” you playfully pouted. “But, if you insist, it’s none other than Mr. Satan himself!”

        “You’re kidding?! No way!” he screamed, making you lightly wince at his volume. As he congratulated you, more loud noises resonated from the dining room again, this time with the muffled banter of Cell and Buu accompanying it. “So what’s it like?!” he enthused, still oblivious to the behind the scenes of your phone call.

        “It’s pretty great honestly, though he’s got some, uh, interesting friends here.”

        “Oh, I imagine you’re meeting lots of neat people when your boss is a mega celeb!”

        “Yeah, I guess so. Anyways, what about you?”

        “Well, great! I’m even better right now actually, now that I know you’ve got connections! Do you think Mr. Satan could help me make a movie or something?” he asked.

        You blinked for a moment, rather taken aback by the request. “Wh-what? You want to make a movie?”

        “Yeah! I think it would be cool!”

        “Uh, I don’t know, Jax. Not that film production is my forte or anything, but I feel like you need to have a lot prepared before you ask celebrities to be in movies. Do you have an idea or a script or something?”

        “Well, no. Jeez, this is too good of an opportunity to pass up…” he hesitated, and mumbled a bunch of words you couldn’t really hear. “Actually, I’ll call you back when I’ve got it, okay?”

        “Alright, but don’t be too disappointed if he declines. I’m sure he’s a busy guy, so, you know…” you trailed off. You were trying to put it lightly, in such a way that wouldn’t offend. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to take it personally.

        “Nah, trust me, I get it! It’s fine if he can’t. But, if you do a _little_ persuasion, it would mean the world to me, (y/n)! Thanks in advance, anyway! Call you later!” he concluded, before hanging up. You took a calm breath before smiling. You swear you’re the only adult you know, which is a little scary all things considered.

        Suddenly, Cell busted into the kitchen with Buu practically on his back clobbering him. He snarled as he tried to pry the giant pink creature off of him, only for it to be in vain. You leaned against the counter to give the fight some space, still unsure what was going on. The only thing you were positive on was that it was probably over something really dumb.

        “You gluttonous blob…! STOP IT!” Cell screamed.

        “B-Buu?!” Hercule announced with fear, bursting into the scene. “What’s going on?!”

        “Bad guy tried Buu’s candy! He thought nobody saw, but Buu saw! Now Buu beat up bad guy!” he explained, still giving Cell a relentless barrage of fists. For the first time, you swear you saw a hint of red on Cell’s typically paler cheeks.

        “I-I DID NO SUCH THING!” he defended angrily, before finally deflecting Buu off of him with a burst of energy that rattled the building, knocking a few things over here and there. “How dare you!” he spat.

        Buu landed to the wooden floor on his rear, and he shot the most intense glare he could through closed eyes. It was a little unsettling. As soon as Buu stood up, he went to attack Cell again, only for Hercule to throw his entire weight into Buu’s arm, trying to hold him back.

        “C-come on, buddy! It’s not worth it! I can always just get you even more candy!” he desperately pleaded. “Don’t do it, Buu!”

        Buu frowned, seemingly genuinely torn between the decision to attack or listen to Hercule. Cell, now having an aura of energy encompass him, extended an arm while Hercule and Buu were distracted. A ball of concentrated energy was forming at his palm, and you gave a low groan. You approached him and stood in front him with your arms crossed and an unamused frown. “Really?” you asked. “You’re that bent outta shape?”

        He narrowed his eyes at you and scoffed “Shut up and move!” he spat. Hercule and Buu turned their gazes towards the two of you and seemed rather stunned. Buu became defensive again, whereas Hercule was entranced with your apathy to Cell’s anger.

        You placed a hand on Cell’s extended arm and smiled. “Stop it, or else you’ll ruin a perfectly good kitchen, and I won’t be able to cook for any of you again.” You tried to lower his arm, but he hesitated a moment, taken aback by your attitude.

        “You act like this is the only kitchen in existence” he growled, letting the ball of energy grow larger. Hercule hid behind Buu, but continued to watch from over his shoulder.

        “The only in existence that will serve you. You’ll be grateful for any meal I prepare after this little temper tantrum” you scolded, and tried once again to lower again. This time, with great reluctance, he gave in, and turned his back.

        “Whatever. I still deny eating that candy” he scoffed, before storming out of the room. You rolled your eyes and withheld a small chuckle. Glancing back, Mr. Hercule seemed very impressed with you., though Buu didn’t really mind as much.

        “That was amazing! How’d you calm that guy down like that? And so fearlessly, too! You know he’s, uh, kinda tough and merciless, right?” he questioned.

        You smiled, rather amused with Hercule’s intrigue. “Well, I think he’s changed a bit from the Cell you remember. Yeah, he’s still dangerous and he can be a little unpredictable, but I wouldn’t call him completely merciless.”

        “Ha, well, I guess that’s a relief… kinda? I should just call you the Beast Tamer!” he laughed, both you and Buu chiming in on the laughter, too.

 

        Later that evening, after everyone ate a quiet and slightly awkward dinner, you all began to retire for the night. You opted to stay up a little late and watch a movie in the living room. Buu was fast asleep on his section of the couch, but given his unrivaled depth of slumber, you figured he wouldn’t be bothered by your private movie night.

        Then the obligatory adult scene came on. It was a little too corny for your preference, and felt rather forced for the sake of sexual tension in the film, but it still left you slightly flustered as you watched.

        “How peculiar they choose to procreate on the verge of death” you heard a voice speculate from over your shoulder. You went pale in the face, clutching at heaving chest. Your heart was racing as you glared over to see a rather confused Cell. He was leaning on the back of the couch and watching on, before glancing down to you and raising a brow.

        “H..how long have you been there?!” you choked out, taking a breath deep breaths to relax.

        “Half an hour roughly. You never went to your room so I came to check on you, and admittedly, got rather hooked on this. At least, til _this_ happened” he replied, gesturing to the screen with the young couple sharing lips. “So, pray tell why this is going on?”

        “Oh, well, they just really wanted to scratch that itch, I guess, y’know? Nobody else is around, so…” you trailed off, hoping he would get the idea. However, it was evident by his twisting expression that he didn’t.

        “So, are they reproducing now because they’ll be threatened later? A desperate attempt to keep their bloodline flowing?”

        “Well, no, they’re not doing it because they have to. They’re doing it because they wanted to. Honestly, it doesn’t really make sense in the plot, but it’s a part of why people watch this stuff. Sex sells and all.”

        He blinked at you, before glancing back at the screen. By now the scene had wrapped up and was back to your standard horror thrill-ride, but Cell still seemed in deep thought, trying to process the information you gave him.

        “Whatever then” he huffed, before hopping over the back of the couch, and plopping a seat beside you. “Even if that particular scene was pointless, I still quite enjoy the rest.”

        You chuckled quietly, “How oddly optimistic of you.”

        He gave a small smile and a shrug.

        “You know, you’re pretty extraordinary, Cell.”

        His eyes darted to you rather surprised by your compliment, but he quickly shifted to his typical smug smile. “Oh? Believe me, I’m well aware. But, do tell what earned that observation?”

        You giggled, “It’s just amazing how you can go from being such an ass about be caught eating candy, to being such a mellow dork!”

        He widened his eyes a bit and gritted his teeth, glaring you down. “I DIDN’T TOUCH IT! I already told you all!” he snapped.

        “C’mon, you can be honest with me. I already know you get super curious when you think nobody’s around. It’s pretty funny.”

        “Tch-!” he scoffed, before crossing his arms and leaning back. He glared away from you, going through another phase of temper.

        You stifled a fit of laughter, before leaning your shoulder to his arm. “Don’t be like that! Besides, if you keep screaming like that, your throat is going to be ruined. What ever would you do if you couldn’t hear your own voice?” you teased.

        He glared down at you, his eyes narrowed. “Another word out of you, and I’ll just have to heighten your training” he threatened lowly. It worked, as you offered an apologetic grin, and quietly resumed watching the movie. He smirked, before joining as well, finding immense pleasure out of your over-the-top horror flick.

 

        Eventually, you must have fallen asleep. You woke up in the middle of the night, and noticed the movie had reverted back to the play menu, playing an eerie ambience on loop. A familiar arm once again had locked around you, and you could hear his calm breathing as he was still asleep. You decided you could roll with it this time, and if anyone else saw, you could totally put all blame on him. The idea of him trying to explain his involuntary sleep-cuddles to people he expects fear out of was convincing enough on its own.

        Besides, if you were being honest, it wasn’t that bad.  



	12. Rematch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gohan stops by and all Cell breaks loose.
> 
> ALSO. Can I just point out how amazing all of you are?! With 137 kudos, 21 bookmarks, and 2611 hits as of this post??? You guys are amazing, and that's not even mentioning the sweet and supportive comments you guys leave! Every time I read someone's comment, I can't help but smile! Seriously, I'm very grateful that all of you are into my bugboy fic! :'D

        With a satisfying stretch, you woke up to find yourself alone in your own bed, neatly tucked no less. You were a little surprised by this, though you didn’t dwell on it for long. Getting up, you headed for the adjoined bathroom to your room. Flicking the lights on, you looked at yourself, and offered a small frown. You’d never really noticed just how many bruises were patterned on your arms and legs, as well as your back and your stomach when you lifted your shirt to your chest. It was a little daunting now that you took the time to inspect yourself thoroughly.

        “I’m almost just as spotted as him” you muttered to yourself, opting to lighten the mood on yourself.

        After wrapping up your morning routine, you left your room and headed to the main den. You hesitated for a moment upon hearing voices that weren’t Hercule’s, Buu’s, or Cell’s, though they were familiar. You peeked around the corner, and to your surprise, Piccolo and Gohan were sitting on the couch, there backs to you, chatting with Hercule.

        “Well, we’ll be here if you need anything, alright? If something goes wrong, we’re ready to intervene, though I really hope it doesn’t come to that” Gohan spoke calmly.

        “I appreciate it, but you’ve got the little one to watch after! You don’t have to worry yourself over anything here!” Hercule chuckled.

        A cool voice spoke from over your shoulder. “A _little_ one?”

        Quickly clasping your hands over your mouth as to not shout, you swiftly turned on your heel to face the voice, and unsurprisingly it was none other than Cell. Only his expression was that of a thoughtful, deviant one. You furrowed your brow at him and shook your head. Whatever he was thinking with this newfound information, you weren’t going to allow. Rolling his eyes, he leaned his shoulder against the wall behind you, and continued listening.

        “What about me?” Piccolo asked. “Not only does Gohan have a kid now, but he has a job, as well as training to focus on. I don’t mind swinging by to make sure everything’s alright.”

        “Honestly you two, I mean it! I really do thank you for keeping everyone’s safety in mind, but there’s nothing to worry about!” Hercule restated, continuing to decline Gohan and Piccolo’s offers.

        With slight confusion, Gohan asked, “You seem rather relaxed despite him pretty much living here now. Why’s that?”

        “Well, you’re never gonna believe me, but that young girl has a leash on him! Hell, he was getting huffy towards Buu and I just last night, but once she stepped in, he hardly put up a fight! It’s unbelievable!” he beamed.

        You blinked for a moment, a weak smile forming on your face, and glanced back to Cell. He didn’t have quite the same reaction, what with his narrowed eyes and crossed arms. You playfully stuck your tongue out at him, before continuing to eavesdrop.

        “Seriously?” Gohan asked, seeming quite taken aback. “She’s able to keep him under control?”

        “Seems that way!” Hercule confirmed.

        You felt a small sense of confidence in yourself, and it couldn’t help but manifest to a small smile. Suddenly, Cell got up and gently, yet firmly started to push you forwards as he walked into the room with them. You gave a nervous smile and wave to Piccolo and Gohan as you were forced out of hiding. Clarity of what do really do or say wasn’t there.

        “Well, if it isn’t Gohan and Piccolo” Cell greeted with underlying discontent. “How considerate of you to check on me.”

        Piccolo scoffed. “If what we heard is correct, then it would seem we wouldn’t have to. Never expected you of anyone to succumb to an Earth woman.”

        “Excuse me?” Cell bitterly spat, narrowing his eyes.

        “Actually!” Gohan quickly interjected, “That’s not necessarily a bad thing! I mean, I have Videl, my Dad has my Mom, and Vegeta has Bulma! I think we’re all just a little surprised by it is all.”

        In unison, your eyes and Cell’s widened at the shock of his statement. “No, no!” you quickly stammered, your cheeks reddened. “It’s not like that!”

        “Utter another ridiculous sentiment like that and I’ll dispose of you! I recommend getting those glasses checked, Gohan” Cell threatened. A light sensation of static occupied the room, a familiar feeling you’d accustomed to whenever tensions were high.

        “Calm down!” Gohan sternly demanded, furrowing his brow. “Even if it’s not like that, having someone there for you isn’t a bad thing at all.”

        Piccolo nodded. “Gohan’s right. Companionship can go beyond the battlefield.”

        Cell was quiet for a moment, before crossing his arms and letting the energy dispel itself. “All of you are mistaken if you truly believe that. I care for the woman about the same as I care for the lot of you. Your best ally is yourself, nobody else. Attachments are inevitably going to be met with loss, anyways. Right, Son Gohan?” Cell scowled.

        A flood of electricity pulsed through the room, and shook you to the core, and your eyes widened as Gohan got to his feet with a bright glowing aura about him. The whirring of energy echoed in the room.

        Piccolo narrowed his eyes. “Gohan, stop it! He’s just baiting you, don’t give into it!” he demanded, standing beside him. Gohan quietly ignored him, his piercing glare stuck on Cell.

        Cell gave a slightly surprised smile, before unfolding his arms to let a similar, strong burst of energy surround him in a yellow aura. “What’s wrong, Gohan, did I hit a nerve? Or is it you know I’m right?”

        Mr. Satan sunk in his seat, trying to minimize his presence as much as he possibly could. Piccolo extended his arm, reaching for Gohan, only for both him and Cell to disappear in a flash. The energy from the room was immediately lifted, only to be replaced with fear and tension as the three of you remaining looked around.

        “This way!” Piccolo announced, and busted open the front door, you and Mr. Satan following his lead. Piccolo stopped in the front yard and glared upwards, gritting his teeth. You couldn’t see a thing, but a wave of thunderous sounds assured you they were there. For only an instance, you could make out Cell and Gohan clashing fists in the sky, before continuing their battle faster than you could track.

        “What do we do?!” you asked, fear lacing your voice. You looked to Piccolo, hoping he’d know best, but his tense expression only made you more fearful. He gave a small sigh and crossed his arms, his body seeming to come to ease.

        “If it gets worse, I’ll intervene. Otherwise, I’m staying here in case their fight gets too close for comfort” he decided. You frowned, a little upset he couldn't just do it now, but you figured he’d know better than you in this type of situation. You were forced to stand and onlook the battle.

 

**(Cell’s POV)**

        This was just as infuriating as last time. He wouldn’t even bother to power up to that form I fought last time. What was the point of that, anyway? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t long for a fight like this again, so perhaps I shouldn’t be too picky. Besides, whenever I could strike a blow to that detestable face, it sent the most euphoric chills through my body. Oh, how nostalgic it was.

        Gohan sped upwards, and I gave chase. He disappeared through the clouds, myself following suit shortly after. Once surfaced, I quickly locked onto his ki, and turned to meet him hovering a short distance away. His spiteful glare turned to that of a smug smile, and I forced a grin in return, slightly taken aback by him.

        “I’m quite disappointed that you aren’t going Super yet” I called out. “It would make things much more entertaining for me if you did!”

        “Only if I have to. Which, in all honesty, I’m fine holding back” he retorted with a confident smile.

        I scoffed, and bared my teeth. “If that’s how you’re going to play, then don’t blame me if things end sooner than anticipated!” With that, I quickly placed my palms together, and began charging a Kamehameha. An aura of light blue surrounded me, as well as pulsating electricity. I couldn’t help but beam at the flow of power coursing through me.

        Gohan didn’t react at all, which slightly perturbed me as I charged it. He just floated there, keeping that smile plastered on his face. Now I was starting to get really annoyed.

        “Ka… Me…!” I roared, my ball of ki growing immensely in strength.

        “Ha… Me...!”

        He still didn’t do a thing. He was taking no defensive stance or preparing to counter me. He wasn’t seriously going to take _me_ head on like this, was he? I took into consideration launching my attack downwards, but what would be the point in that other than a small rise? The Saiyan in me didn’t want to sacrifice losing the opportunity of a potential opponent worthy of my time. Besides, I had a promise that I didn’t want to lose sight of quite yet, though why I would even care about following through, I wasn’t sure of.

        Whatever.

        “Ha…!” I echoed, forcing my arms outwards and projecting the Kamehameha blast directly at Gohan. I narrowed my eyes, and kept my guard up as I continued to power the blast at where he was. After I drained what I was willing to, I finished, and slowly lowered my arms. The blue beam continued traversing outwards until it dissipated in the outer reaches of the planet’s atmosphere.

        His energy was gone, but I wasn't fooled. His prior expression was too conceded to have fallen like that, and he didn’t strike me the type to vanquish with such optimism when he had so much to lose. I shifted my gaze around, trying to quickly locate him, but it was to no avail. He wouldn’t have retreated would he? I dismissed it. No way he would resort to such cowardice so soon. Still, it was only pissing me off more with every second that passed that he wasn't present. After what felt like enough of my time to waste, I felt I had no choice but to descend back down. How unsatisfying all that was.

        As I dropped beneath the layer of clouds, I widened my eyes in disbelief. Gohan was back on the ground with Piccolo, the girl, and the amateur. I gritted your teeth, hastening my course downwards to meet them. As I landed, Gohan looked at me and blinked, before offering a smile.

        “What the hell are you doing?!” I spat.

 

**(Reader’s POV)**

        You were relieved to see that both of them were fine, even if one was left enraged. Gohan had explained to everyone before Cell returned that he wanted to gage Cell’s power, and to his surprise, the attack he launched was significantly weaker than what he was surely capable of.

        “I don’t think, Cell. What were _you_ doing?” Gohan returned, Cell’s face twisting sharply.

        “The hell are you on about? We were in the middle of combat! How despicable of you to flee back to these fools!” he retorted.

        Gohan gave a small chuckle. “Well, what’s the point in fighting if you’re not even going to give it your all?”

        Cell didn’t respond, still being rather dumbfounded and frustrated.

        Gohan extended an arm to Cell, and Cell glared at it before glancing back to Gohan with his eyes narrowed. “Even if we didn’t really try, I say that was an alright warm up! Good fight!”

        “...Are you serious?” Cell asked coldly.

        “Mhm! I mean it!”

        Cell glared at his arm, before swatting it away and walking past him and the rest of you, heading back inside with a few choice words under his breath.

        Gohan blinked, but gave a small shrug. “I have to admit, I’d be more surprised if he didn’t brush me off!” he chuckled, before looking to you. “I’d say things are alright here, and if Mr. Satan’s right, then we have you in part to thank.”

        You gave a weak smile and chuckled. “Honestly, it’s really nothing, haha!”

        “Well, it’s everything! Who knows what mischief he’d be up to if you never encountered him, and well, worked your charm, I guess!” he chuckled, before his expression lit up. “Oh! I just realized, I still need to apologize to you!”

        “Apologize?” you questioned.

        “For being so skeptical of you when we first met. I mean, I had a lot of thoughts going on, especially in regards to him being back. I didn’t know what to make of you, but, now I’m glad I decided to trust you. It’s remarkable how different he seems.”

        “To be fair, you had every right to doubt me!” you giggled nervously. “But, yeah, I guess he’s changed a little.”

        “Gohan” Piccolo stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m proud of you for letting it go. You did have me a little worried your guys’ history would get to you.”

        Gohan smiled. “What can I say? It would be a shame to rid him of a chance at redemption.”

        “Well, we should probably head off. I’m sure Videl’s got lunch with your name on it” PIccolo chuckled.

        “Oh! You’re right!” he beamed. “Anyways, (y/n), we’ll see you guys around! Later!” he called out, before taking flight with Piccolo by his side. In only a few moments they were out of sight.

        Speaking of lunch, you had a household to feed. You smiled to yourself, still feeling a sense of importance. Maybe he really would change? You couldn’t force it, but you could certainly encourage him to take the right path. Yeah, you could do this! With newfound empowerment and optimism, you went inside to whip up the most confident lunch you’ve ever prepared!

  
  
        Relaxing on your bed with a full stomach, you haphazardly swiping through your phone, browsing clothes and doing generic online shopping. Your door opened, and Cell waltzed in without caution, and slumped beside you on the bed, laying on his stomach. You raised a brow at him.

        “You good?” you asked.

        “...”

        You blinked, a little unsure of what to do, so you quietly continued scrolling on your phone.

        “...What’s the fascination with that device you always use?” he finally spoke up, his head relaxed on its side, glaring up at your phone.

        “Oh, it’s just a phone. I can talk to people online with it, or play games, or shop, or just do about anything really” you explained. “Why?”

        “It’s the one thing you’re never without, so I was curious of its significance is all.”

        There was a small silence between you two. You kind of wanted to ask about earlier, and ask him why he didn’t give it his all, but you liked to believe you already knew the answer. You smiled a little at the thought.

        “What is it?” he asked.

        “Huh?” you replied, glancing back to him.

        “Why are you smiling?”

        “Oh… it’s nothing” you dismissed.

        He continued to stare at you for a moment, before turning his head to face the other way and take a silent, deep breath.

        “...Thanks for taking me to bed last night.”

        “Pardon?” he questioned, still facing away.

        “After the movie. I fell asleep, and I’m assuming I didn’t tuck myself into bed” you lightly teased, smiling at him.

        He only gave a small scoff.

        A devious smirk creased your face. “Just for that, I won’t tell anyone how you had your arm wrapped around me again.”

        You could visibly see him stiffen slightly at your words, before quietly grumbling, “It’s nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: I don't want to have too many POV shift moments. I'm only doing POV shifts for the reader's context, as well as significant scenes where Cell's or potentially someone else's viewpoint is important to the story.


	13. The Pier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's a little overdue, but hey! It's Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Enjoy a chapter with extra cheese to it!

       You took a quick swing, landing a firm blow against Cell’s arm as he blocked your attack. With high hopes, you continued to barrage him with a series of swings, before going for a sweep kick. He effortlessly leapt upwards, easily avoiding any of your attacks. Panting, you gritted your teeth, posing yourself in an offensive stance.

       “Admittedly, you’ve become quicker in your attacks, though your flaw is not knowing when to check your blind spots” he instructed, before disappearing before your eyes, and without a second in between, you were knocked to the ground.

       You winced as you tried to pick yourself up, scurrying to your hands and knees. “How am I supposed to do that?!” you spat, catching your breath.

       Glaring upwards, he was squatting before you with a smirk. “You’ll just have to learn that on your own. You can’t expect me to just tell you everything when hands on experience is the proper way to learn!”

       You rolled your eyes, before lunging yourself at him, taking a blow aimed for his chest. To your dismay, it was caught easily in his grasp, and he yanked you behind him, again tossing you to the ground.

       “This…!” you coughed roughly. “This is still hardly fair!”

       “Fairness isn’t a factor in a real fight. Do come over that sense of naivety you have!” he sneered, before slamming his foot against your back, shoving you deeper into the earth. You glared up at him, rage boiling inside you. It was starting to get under your skin how much fun he had in kicking you around, and by everything holy you were going to beat him.

       With all the strength you could muster, you tried to bring yourself back to your knees, fighting against the pressure of his weight as he forced his foot against you. Unfortunately, it was to no avail, as he reasserted you back to the dirt. You winced at the pain, unable to do much in such a position.

       “Why don’t you try to summon your energy?” he asked calmly.

       “H-huh?!”

       “I’m surprised that after all this combat, you haven’t tapped into your energy. Things would be so much easier on you if you would.”

       “I-...” you couldn’t finish, the pressure of him holding you down by his foot knocking the breath out of you. Finally, he lifted from you and crossed his arms.

       “Perhaps, and hopefully for your own sake, you’re simply a late bloomer to grasping your true potential. You’d best tap into it soon, or else my patience will deteriorate!” he threatened.

       Again, you made effort to bring yourself back up, struggling and staggering as you did. Once back to your feet, you turned to face him, his eyes glaring daggers into yours. My, how different he was here than back home. At Hercule’s, you were dominant, however when training, Cell was definitely a force to be reckoned with. He tolerated nothing short of hard work and perseverance. Still, it didn’t change the fact that you were starting to look like a worn out punching bag.

       He gazed you and and down, before giving a small, defeated sigh. “I suppose today will suffice. What you need to focus on now is pacing yourself, and always being aware of your surroundings.”

       You blinked, quite surprised to hear him call it a day so abruptly. “Are you sure? I know I’m pretty winded, but I’ve been worse. I could hold out for a few more rounds.”

       “Hmm, I’m glad to hear your enthusiasm, but I’ve already made my choice” he asserted, before scooping you off your feet, and slinging you over his shoulder.

       Slightly caught off guard, you gave a nervous chuckle. “Hey, you don’t have-” Only to be cut off by his Instant Transmission back to your room. Hoisted off, you were carefully seated at the foot of your bed, before he noisily started rummaging around your room.

       “Uh, hey?! That’s my stuff! Some if it’s a little personal!” you declared, rushing up to try and keep him out of your things.

       “I’ve already seen everything, I’m just searching for the medical supplies. You have an awful habit of not keeping them in a single place.”

       Your cheeks dusted pink slightly, the implications of what he’s seen being enough for to immediately back off and avoid the topic entirely. “Uh, well… why do you need the medical supplies?”

       He glanced over his shoulder, eyeing you and up down with a raised brow. “We’re going to pretend you didn’t have to ask.”

       You rolled your eyes. “Seriously, I’m fine. I don’t need anymore bandages or ointments. Even if I did, you don’t have to do it for me.”

       He paused, before turning to you and crossing his arms. “Are you certain?” he asked.

       You nodded. “Positive. Can I ask why you’re concerned?”

       “Hmm. No.” With that, he gave a small smile, before turning and heading out the door. You were a little dumbfounded by his response, and sat back on your bed, pondering at the odd exchange you two just had. Doing what you do best, you shrugged it off.   
  
  


       Getting dressed, you were about to head out on a grocery run that evening. Tonight was suppose to be the last warm night of the month before cooler weather would set in, so you were going to make the most of it. You adorned yourself with a cute navy blue and white striped knee-length dress, and gave yourself a tan sun hat with a black ribbon to go. Figuring you were fine without bandage wraps, you removed them, and concealed any serious bruise with a cute band aid instead. After slipping some tan sandals on, you smiled at yourself in the mirror. Seldom did you gussy up much, but when you did, you appreciated every little detail of yourself.

       You waved to Hercule and Buu with a smile as you headed out the door. Once halfway out of his gated property, Cell descended from the air in front of you, halting you abruptly as he landed.

       “So, what’s all this?” he asked, gesturing your change of attire.

       “Just getting groceries is all” you replied.

       He raised a brow, rather unconvinced of you. “I didn’t realize one had to doll themselves up for such a minor occasion. Besides, you’ve done this plenty without changing appearance.”

       You rolled your eyes. “Well, I wanted to look nice, and starting tomorrow, it’s going to get colder. Might as well take advantage of the weather while I can, right?”

       “Hmph” he scoffed. “I’m going to accompany you.”

       You blinked, rather surprised. “Wh-what, why?”

       “Last time you went out looking nice, you almost fell off a balcony” he retorted.

       “Oh, you think I look nice?” you teased, earning a small glare from him before shifting his eyes away and crossing his arms.

       “You know what I meant!” he hissed. “I’m personally indifferent!”

       You laughed, before a sudden realization hit you. “I don’t mind if you come with me, but, you need a disguise or something.”

       He narrowed his eyes. “No.”

       “Then you aren’t coming.”

       “Yes I am.”

       You crossed your arms, and he did, too. With a smirk, you quickly turned heel and made a mad dash back inside, Cell in hot pursuit.   
  
  


       “Mr. Satan!” you called, making a stop so abrupt, Cell nearly plowed you over, cursing under his breath as he was forced to a halt. Your boss glanced over, rather surprised.

       “Uh… yeah?”

       “Do have any clothes you don’t wear anymore? Something Cell could go in public in?” you asked, with the biggest pleading smile you could conjure.

       Cell was stunned by your words. “Absolutely not!” he screamed over your shoulder. If you weren’t used to it by now, he’d have blown your ears out.

       “Please???” you persisted.

       Mr. Satan blinked, a little unsure of what to do or say, his eyes darting back and forth from your cheerful grin to Cell’s bewildered and furious glare.

       “...How about… you just, uh, look in my wardrobe yourself…?” he replied, sinking into seat as he spoke. That was all you needed.

       “Thanks!” you cheered, snagging Cell’s hand as you rushed upstairs with him threatening numerous ways to end all of you as you lead him up. He could act all tyrannic as he wanted, but if he  _ really  _ was against it, you know he’d have disappeared a long time ago.

       Once in Hercule’s room, you were rather stunned by it’s magnificence. Almost every piece of furniture was a deep crimson with gold embroidery enlaced to it. You shook your awestruck head, focusing on his massive closet. Swinging open the doors, you were once again in mental heaven at everything he had at his disposal. Someone really knew how to live, and Cell couldn't give a greater fuck.

       Rummaging through multiple button-ups, vests, pants, and other garments, you were struggling to find something that could suitably fit this guy. Going into this, you knew his massive wings would prove a challenge, and you  _ really  _ didn’t want to resort in cutting a hole in the back of one of your boss’s clothes. Finally, and much to your delight, you found an extra large, warm-yellow bulky sweater with  _ Orange Star!  _ In white printed on the front. It was actually not a bad find for probably being your only real option. Taking it off it’s hanger, you smiled and presented it to Cell.

       “How’s this?” you inquired.

       “...It’s vile” he spat, glaring it the sweater with pure contempt.

       “Yeah, well, it’s all we got that'll fit ya” you retorted, tossing it over to him. He caught it, scanned it over a moment, and slowly and reluctantly began to put it on, struggling a brief moment with the crown snagging the collar. He stood up and inspected himself in the mirror with disdain, his wingtips jutting out about a quarter of their length beneath the hem. You brought a hand up to stifle laughter, to which he quickly snapped you a cold, hard glare.

       “If you dare laugh, nothing shall prevent me from turning this entire planet to dust!” he snarled. You twisted your face, trying hard not to burst. Nothing like being threatened by a bug man in only a sweater. Speaking of, you tried to distract yourself by searching for pants that would fit decently on him.

       This search didn’t take nearly as long, as you settled on a pair of grey sweatpants. Giving him the last piece to his look, you stood beside him in front of the mirror once he had them on.

       “Admittedly, not a bad look” you praised. You were no fashionista, but you were pretty proud on his ‘outfit of the day.’

       He chose not to reply, still rather loathsome of the entire debacle. If anything, he was more than happy to be done with it. His crown was something you couldn’t really figure out what do with, so you were pretty much forced to just hope for the best. However, you did have an idea that you wanted to try just for shits and giggles.

       “Hey” you beckoned, motioning for him to come to eye level. He gave a small sigh, before leaning down.

       “Wha-?” he was cut off once a pair of aviators rested on his face. You were pleasantly surprised that they stayed on, though he wasn’t. “Are… are these really necessary?” he groaned.

       “I mean, hey, a little can go a long way?” you chuckled, offering a small shrug. You couldn’t tell, but you were positive he rolled his eyes, before standing back upright. 

       Well, now that that was settled, you were ever so slightly more comfortable that nobody would notice?

 

       A lot of people were noticing. Despite your best efforts, it was hard to ignore the lingerings eyes of others as you and Cell walked down the market. Thankfully, it seemed nobody was making the link of who he was, or at least, nobody was acting afraid. Simply confused or surprised. It wasn’t the worst reception to a guy like him that could’ve been, and he didn’t seem to pay any mind to anybody’s gawking. All things considered, could be a lot worse.

       You weren’t exactly sure why Cell even came along, as he seemed adamant not to speak during your trip, only ever giving a small grunt or ‘hmph’ to reply to you. However, he was quick to spout of a few choice words to any merchant who had the guts to single the two of you out and tempt you over with whatever deals they were offering. If you didn’t immediately apologize on Cell’s behalf, you’d find it rather hilarious.

       After about an hour, your arms were starting to get full of baskets and bags of produce. To your surprise, they weren’t as heavy as they used to be, but you still only had two arms. You were about to ask for his help, only for a sudden force to send you and your groceries to the ground.

       Blinking at the ground, you looked behind you. To your surprise, a young boy stared back at you in shock, picking himself up from the ground.

       “S-sorry, lady!” he blurted out, pulling the lavender hair out of his face. He then looked to Cell, seeming more mesmerized than terrified by his appearance. “...Uh, cool hat, dude?” the kid complimented.

       Cell was silent, staring at the kid in disbelief. He pulled his eyes from the kid, quickly choosing to pick up your belongings and ignore him. The kid blinked, rather confused, before shrugging and ever so nonchalantly taking to the sky. So, just about everyone you met could just do that apparently?

       You sat there, still a little unsure what had just happened, before getting back to your feet. Dusting off your dress, you glanced up to Cell, rather curious about his odd choice of reaction.

       “So… that look was new?” you chimed to him.

       “What are you talking about?” he retorted.

       “You seemed kinda surprised to see him, as if he was familiar or something. Do you know him?”

       “...Of course not.” His tone was as if he were trying to convince himself, too. Needless to say, you didn’t buy it, but you chose not to push the matter. Not that he was ever eager to answer probing questions, he seemed especially withdrawn from it.

 

       Later that evening, with groceries in either of his arms, and a few baskets in yours, the two of you were heading home. The sidewalk you treaded coasted a wide river that resided in the city. Up ahead, you couldn’t help but notice a beautifully pier overlooked the dark waters. White little lights adorned the railings, and reflected like fireflies in the water. You couldn’t resist the temptation to enjoy the scenery.

       “Hey, come on!” you giggled, veering off towards it to Cell’s surprise.

       “What? Why?” he questioned.

       “Because we can!”

       He rolled his eyes, sighing in annoyance, and followed suit.

       You walked to the end of the pier and looked across the river, the city lights on the other side reflecting in the waters. Smiling to yourself, you put your baskets down, took your shoes off, and climbed on the railing, holding a wooden lamp post for security.

       Cell scoffed. “Should you  _ really _ be up there?”

       “Hmm, not really, but it’s fun.” You grinned at him and eased yourself down a little to take a seat on the rail. “You should know the adrenaline on living on the edge” you teased.

       He gave a small smile, placing the groceries down for the moment. “Trust me, sitting on a rail isn’t living on the edge. How is that doing anything for you?”

       You shrugged. “Everyone has their own rush, I suppose.”

       He crossed his arms and shook his head, looking away to stifle a small chuckle. “So, how long do you plan to be enthralled by the wonders of sitting? If I recall correctly, we have a whole household to get these back to?” he questioned, gesturing to the groceries.

       “Oh? Do you care about them, too?” you cooed.

       “Tch. Hardly. You were given a task and we’re this far. The least we could do is finish it” he retorted.

       You laughed. “Well, yeah, and we’re gonna. That doesn’t mean you have to rush things. You can always 'stop to smell the roses' as they say, and just take it slow sometimes.”

       “Oh, shut up, already...” he groaned, sending you into another fit of laughter.

       Only this time, the most predictable thing you didn’t count on happened. You felt your heart leap as you were starting to fall backwards in the water. You gave a small cry as your arms thrashed, only to be suddenly still, and thankfully not in the water.

       Except, your heart wasn’t calming down.

       His grip firm on your waist, and leaning over you, he blinked at you in an expression you’d never seen before. His eyes were wide and entranced, and you were pretty sure you were mirroring him to a tee. It was hard to keep your face from glowing red, what with this corny position the two of you found yourselves in.

       Shaking himself from his trance, he quickly pulled you back up and off the railing. “Get your shoes and your things. We’re going back now” he coldly stated, grabbing his share of the groceries and turning away to head off.

       You swallowed and blinked, still trying to relax from the obvious tension. Doing as he instructed, you followed him a short distance behind, leaving a bit of a gap between you two. You stared at the ground as you walked, trying to clear your thoughts about what just happened.

       Worse, your heart wouldn’t stop fluttering.

 

       Why wouldn’t it stop?


	14. A New Challenger Approaches!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years! Cell decides to rather forcefully teach you energy, and almost everyone's favorite DB character has arrived! <3

        That night, you rested in your bed alone. You weren’t sure where Cell was resting, or if he even was. Hell, you didn’t even know if he was still in the house. It was kind of disheartening to you, and you weren’t exactly sure why.

        You stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to do a little self-reflection for yourself. You took a deep breath and rubbed your face, deciding that perhaps you shouldn’t feel this way. There’s no reason someone like him should have you thinking so hard over something so minuscule as that incident on the pier.

        But, was it really minuscule?

        Groaning, you were desperate for something else to think about. You reached for your phone and began scrolling through your social medias. Nothing of any real interest aside from the photos your long distance friends posted from time to time. Speaking of friends, you were curious what Jax was up to. As far as you were aware, he was still developing his movie idea to present to your boss. You weren’t exactly sure of the success rate of fresh college graduates getting scripts to the big screen, but you still had hopes for him. 

        After watching a few videos to pass the time, a small yawn gave you the signal that it was probably time to call it a night. Putting it down, and sighed and glanced at the window. Back to square one with troubling thoughts. But, at least this time, you were tired enough to dwell on it later. Perhaps, tomorrow things would be back to normal.

 

        Today was going about as awkward as they could be. Despite his efforts in avoiding and ignoring you, Cell still decided you would train with him, at least for a while. This time however, things were starting on a different note.

        “Sit down” he instructed, as he himself planted himself on the ground, crossing his legs in a familiar meditative pose. You did as you were told, and looked to him slightly confused. He stared at you for a moment, before summoning his energy in a controlled orb of light, just the way he did when explaining the concept to you last time.

        “You’re going learn about ki, and you’re going to learn to fly whether you like it or not. No more  _ accidents _ ” he spoke, putting strong emphasis in his tone.

        You blinked. “W-wait, are you referring to what happened-?”

        “We’re going to start small, as many must” he declared, speaking over and interrupting you. “However, I won’t tolerate slow progression. You  _ will  _ show results in a timely manner.” There was something spine-chilling in his voice, almost sinister, making you slightly unnerved. It didn’t help that his contained energy seemed to be growing in intensity, small static whirrs electrifying the air. You gave a nervous, confirming nod to him.

        “Now that that’s out of the way, we may began” he directed, his energy’s power coming down. He glared at you for a moment, as if he were sizing you up, before his energy drastically dropped in scale. It was about as big as a dime.

        “You’re going to deflect this. If you don’t, you’ll be gravely wounded, perhaps even killed” Cell warned, his expression serious. Your heart dropped a little, but you forced a broken smile.

        “Heh…this is a joke, right?” you asked, seriously hoping he wasn’t for real. When his eyes reflected his true intent, you made an attempt to crawl backwards. A sudden tight grip on each of your ankles stopped you, and you looked up with fear. He was still carrying the frighteningly stoic look as he firmly locked you in place.

        “It’s not that hard, so calm down. I’ll be genuinely surprised if anything happens.”

        “Y-yeah, that’s reassuring, buddy!” you stuttered.

        “Just remember to stay focused on defending your life… without physical contact.” With that, the tiny orb of energy was slowly traversing from his lap towards you.

        It was astounding how frightening this tiny thing was, potentially a fatal attack. With every slow inch it crept on you, you swear your heart would beat tenfold.

        “S-stop it! This isn’t funny anymore!” you yelled, shooting him a frustrated glare. He didn’t say a word, or so much as blink. It was really getting to you. You glared back down at the tiny orb, it being halfway between you and Cell. “D-dammit!” you spat, realizing how serious this really was.

        Trying your best to focus, which was impossibly hard, you closed your eyes and reached for any innate instinct to force back his energy. You took slow, steady breaths, doing anything and all to force something out yourself that you weren’t even sure was there. Unable to resist, you peaked open an eye. Nothing had changed, the ball was still looming ever closer and closer. 

        Tears were starting to prick at your eyes as you squeezed them back shut. Doing as you saw him do, you held your hands together and tried to summon  _ anything _ . The strain was lasting for what felt like an agonizing eternity, with death a touch away. You could practically feel the electricity graze your chest when it happened.

        A sudden force from you halted the light sensation, and you opened your eyes. The little orb had stopped a mere centimeter from you, and you were somehow managing to slowly to push it back. You blinked, a euphoric pulse of adrenaline giving you the confidence to push it back a little harder, and in the process, you were creating your own little sphere of energy. In an instant it was gone, and you only notice now that Cell was no longer restraining you. However, he was giving a prideful smirk.

        “W-when did you let go?” you asked, wiping the drying tears from your cheeks.

        “Almost the instant you closed your eyes” he chuckled. “Though, had you realized, I wouldn’t have hesitated to bound you down again.”

        You rolled your eyes. “But, you wouldn’t have  _ actually  _ let that thing touch me, would you?”

        “Of course I would.”

        “Jeez, you could’ve lied or something. You didn’t have to be so blunt!” you nervously chuckled. A static zap right before your feet sprung you from your moment of peace, and you gave a glare upwards. Cell was looking away with eyes closed, but a shit-eating grin that read guilty.

        “W-what the hell?!” you stammer, getting to your feet.

        He shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

        The next couple hours were spent on energy control, which you were still pretty rough at, but at the very least you were getting the basics. When he opted to try flight again, you were swift to postpone it for another day.

        No way was he going toy with you in the air again. Not if you could help it.

 

        Once the two of you made it back to Hercule’s manor, without missing a beat, Hercule swiftly rushed up to you. He looked pretty tense.

        “(Y-y/n)! A, uh, friend of mine is here ‘cause he said he wanted to meet you! Sorry for this being sudden, but he’s… not exactly patient!” he chuckled nervously.

        “Oh?” you asked, your curiosity peaked.

        You heard Cell scoff. “Of course… that brat…” he muttered, seeming to have already figured out who was here. It wasn’t long before you were aware, too.

        “So, Cell, how did you enjoy your time Hell?” a man spoke, coming from the living room to the main entrance. He was a little shorter in stature, though he still slightly taller than you. He had long, spiky black hair that reached upwards. If you remembered correctly, he was the same guy from the photo you were investigating a while ago. However, as opposed to the strange armor, he sported a navy blue button-up shirt, and some khakis.

        Cell twitched, and gave a broken smirk, acting as if he wasn’t slightly insulted. “How  _ scathing _ , Vegeta. Now that we’ve skipped formalities, what are  _ you _ here for?” he asked coolly, though bitterness was reminiscent in his tone.

        Vegeta leaned against the wall, and shifted his glance to you. His stare was about as intimidating as Cell’s to your surprise, and you found yourself trying not to break a sweat. “How pathetic...” he murmured, sizing you up.

        “W-what?” you stammered.

        You were ignored, but Cell’s eyes narrowed a little, before closing and giving a smile. “I see nothing’s changed about you, Vegeta. Still an awful lot of bark and no bite, correct?”

        Vegeta scoffed. “Don’t act like you’ve forgotten what I did our last encounter! I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again!”

        “I’m sure you wouldn’t” Cell chuckled. “As a matter of fact, if you bring Trunks, we could make a perfect replication of events!”

        You could practically see the anger boiling in Vegeta, his grit teeth and clenched fists. An aura of energy engulfed him, similar from you witnessed Gohan do. Cell almost instantaneously did as Vegeta, clenching his fists. Already predicting where this was going, you quickly stepped in the between them, not about to deal with another battle. You cast a little glare at Cell, a silent warning of sorts, before turning to face Vegeta.

        “None of this, please! I was told you were here to see  _ me _ , not go plunging into some fight! Why are you here?” you asked boldly, having to practically yell over the deafening roar of their powers.

        Vegeta glared at you. “Get out of my way!” he threatened, before looking past you.

        “Answer me first!” you demanded, mirroring his glare.

        He scoffed rather annoyed, but before he could retort, you notice the decrease of tension from Cell. His aura vanished, and he simply crossed his arms, glaring Vegeta down with a smirk.

        “As much as I’d love a good warm up, I’m more curious why you’re here. It’s a surprise to know it wasn’t my own presence that brought you here, but rather, the girl’s” Cell spoke, gesturing to you in reference. 

        Vegeta seemed uninterested in indulging the either of you, but seeing as nobody wanted to fight him yet, he reluctantly powered down. It was as if a heavy weight was lifted from the atmosphere.

        “Tch. If you must know, it would just so happen my boy noticed the two of you in the marketplace yesterday” Vegeta explained, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms.

        “No kidding” Cell mocked surprise. “It was your brat that wasn’t paying attention and dived right into us. Skip to the details we don’t already know.”

        Vegeta raised a brow and gave a smirk. “If you want details, I can describe a tall, spotted green freak wearing a yellow sweater and some sunglasses. How’s that?”

        Cell twitched a little, but bit his tongue, and merely glared down at you for a long, bitter moment, before returning his gaze to Vegeta. “Don’t make me repeat myself” he begrudgingly muttered.

        Taking pride in his subtle blow, Vegeta chuckled lightly. “I just wanted to know how the likes of a weak, fragile human could stand to be around a monster like you” he finally confessed, then began addressing you. “You  _ are  _ aware of his history, right?”

        “I- yeah, I know” you admitted quietly.

        “And you’re at peace with that?”

        You looked down for a moment, before glancing to Cell. He, too, seemed curious as to your response. All eyes were on you.

        You hesitated, but glanced back to Vegeta with as much confidence as you could muster. “What’s important is the here and now, not the past. So while it’s maybe not ideal, I can live with it. So long as he continues to make strides in the right direction, it’ll be ok.” More than anything, this was self-assurance for your own sake. It wasn’t often you thought of Cell like that anymore, but it put a damper in your day when you did.

        The room was quiet, til Vegeta lifted himself from reclining and walked right up to you, face to face. “I don’t know whether you’re blissfully ignorant, or just downright idiotic. What I do know is that no matter which it is, it’ll get you killed by the likes of him. Perhaps Kakarot, his son, or the Namekian will come to your aid, but I won’t. It’s not really my style to save someone practically asking to get slaughtered.”

        You were taken aback and at a loss for words, and couldn’t reply with much more than a look of shock. He then looked to Cell with more spite in his eyes than prior. So much so that you weren’t sure how it was possible.

        “I don’t know what you’re planning Cell, but if I have to get involved, then  _ I’m  _ going to end it” he threatened, before walking past the both of you towards the door.

        “Send the brat my regards” Cell muttered, not bothering to turn his head to face him. Vegeta paused for a moment, before opening the door and slamming it shit behind him, rattling the house with his leave.

        He dumped a lot onto you that you couldn’t quite process. You vaguely remembered Cell mentioning Kakarot before, and you could take a guess that his son was Gohan, and perhaps Piccolo was this ‘Namekian’ Vegeta spoke of. What lingered in your mind was the implication that you were a sitting duck for Cell to pick off.

        It was painfully quiet for a long while after Vegeta left, the two of you just standing there in silence. Your boss peaked around the corner to check on things, but quickly decided not to involve himself yet. You wrapped your arms around yourself, having to remind yourself that the man behind you had changed. He wasn’t this malicious monster anymore. Right?

 

        A hand on your shoulder pulled you from the darkest pits of your thoughts, and you were slightly startled. You glanced up to see Cell looking down at you. It’s been a while since he inspected your face the way he used to, but here he was, as if he were trying to figure you out all over again.

        “Though I still hold my general vindictiveness towards Goku and the lot of them, I have no ill-will towards you nor the rest of this planet. Do believe me that if I truly wanted to ‘slaughter’ you, I would have done so a long time ago” he explained calmly.

        You gave a slow, understanding nod, still a little perturbed by his choice of words, even if he were merely quoting Vegeta. There was a smoothness to his voice when he spoke to this way, which happened practically never.

        “You should talk like that more often” you quietly joked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

        He gave a confused look to you. “What?”

        “You know, all soothing and comforting. It really puts a nice spin on your usual haughty tone.”

        “Oh, hell…” he murmured, rolling his eyes. He released his grip on your shoulder and began to walk away. “I won’t continue being polite if you’re going to mock me every time I do” he grunted.

        “I promise I’m not making fun of it!” you chuckled lightly, making him stop and look back at you curiously. “I mean it, it’s really nice. I like the soothing, comforting, and polite you.”

        He opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated, and paused for a moment, giving you a suspicious look. “You’re not trying to get out of energy training, are you? If you are, I’m sorry to say your efforts are in vain.”

        “Wha-?  _ Cell _ , I’m being completely serious!” you pleaded.

        He eyed you down again, before closing his eyes and smiling. “Well then, all generous compliments and notices of my greatness are welcome.”

        You raised a brow and smirked. “Sooo,  _ now _ can I get out of energy training?”

        You were only met with a stern glare.

        “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” you laughed, putting your hands up.

        He rolled his eyes, and continued his way back to presumably your room. You gave a small smile, surely you trusted him. Vegeta was probably just trying to get the two of you bent out of shape for his own personal vendetta against Cell. Besides, you did just meet Vegeta, so perhaps you should just take his warnings with a grain of salt. The Cell he knew was different, and maybe after some time, Vegeta would get to know the one you knew.

        Yeah, things would be perfectly okay.


	15. Party Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Real quick, HUGE apology for the belated update on this fic! I didn't intend to leave everyone hanging the way I did, but with school and work, I simply didn't have the time to update this, and I didn't have the heart to get hopes up with a chapter update just to explain that without any content. While I can't guarantee this fic will have consistent updates from here on out, it still will be continued and finished. I'll aim to not have a month without an update again. Also, I'm totally fine health wise, so sorry to worry anybody on that front, too. I do very much appreciate the support from everyone either way <3

        It had been a couple weeks of general peace. Your energy training was going pretty well all things considered. You could now sense and repress energy, and hell, you were even capable of launching little energy blasts. However, you had zero control over them, and they tended to drain what little energy you could even muster in them. Still, everyone starts somewhere, and you were holding on to your bragging rights.

        Today was a different day. As opposed to the usual training from morning to midday, then whatever work was required the day on, you found yourself in the kitchen pretty early. Pan’s birthday was planned for that evening, and you were determined to whip up fanciest, cutest delicacy you could. 

        Of course, you had some help.

        “So, what kind of cake did you have in mind?” Gohan inquired, grabbing bowls, whisks, and other tools of the trade in baking.

        “Well, I was thinking something like a cheesecake of sorts, but I wanted your input. Do you know if Pan has a preference or anything?” you asked, plopping down a bag of flour and a bag of sugar on the counter.

        Gohan gave a small chuckle. “Well, considering she’s just turning 2 and has Saiyan genes, it’s a safe bet she’ll eat anything!”

        You blinked, rather confused. “Saiyan genes? What do you mean?”

        “Oh, uh, well it’s a lot to explain, but in short, the Saiyans were a warrior race. The only full-blooded Saiyans that still exist here are my Dad and Vegeta.”

        “As bizarre as that is, it’s not the strangest thing I’ve heard. Sounds kind of neat to be an alien or a human/alien hybrid to be honest!” you chuckled.

        He gave a playful shrug. “It definitely has its perks!”

        “Is that why you can fly and fight super good?” you asked.

        He gave a confirming nod. “Anyone is capable of becoming a strong fighter, but having the right genes can give you a headstart and an edge.”

        You hesitated asking, but decided you wanted his opinion. “Do you think I could get strong like a Saiyan?”

        He blinked for a moment, before giving a nervous chuckle. “It’s not exactly easy, (y/n)! I mean, I’m sure you could become very strong if you trained, but it takes a long time and a lot of work. You need to learn about energy, techniques, and-”

        You strained a little, but you managed to pull your energy into a small orb in your palms. “Like this, right?”

        “Uh…” he seemed rather dumbfounded. “How? I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s impressive, but…?” 

        “You best put that away before you accidentally destroy the kitchen.” A sudden sharp tone grabbed both of your attentions, your ball of energy immediately dissipating to nothing. Cell leaned in the entrance to the kitchen, giving you a scolding glare.

        “Oh, how devastated you’d be without a kitchen, right?” you teased.

        Cell rolled his eyes, and Mr. Satan entered from behind him. “Actually, I gotta agree. As cool as those balls of light are, they can be pretty, well,  _ explosive _ . I’d prefer it if none were used inside” he chuckled.

        You gave a confirming nod. “So, who’s all showing up anyway?”

        “Yes, I’m rather curious myself who I get the pleasure of reuniting with” Cell sneered, shooting Gohan a condescending glare.

        “Well, it’s gonna be all of our friends and families, a lot more than I can list one by one, but suffice to say, it’s definitely going to be a party!” Gohan exclaimed, before grinning to Cell. “And you be careful, wouldn’t want to get yourself uninvited, now would we?” he teased.

        Cell glared down at him, narrowing his eyes. “You take me for someone who cares about attendance at toddler’s parties? You’ve truly lost your mind.”

        Neither you or Gohan could try any hard to resist laughing out loud, much to Cell’s dismay. Quietly, he sulked towards the fridge, and took a cart of eggs into his hands. Closing the fridge door, he leaned against it, occasionally shifting his eyes from the eggs to either of you. It seemed pretty blatant he was trying to hide a small smirk, and the realization of what was about to go down hit you.

        “Cell, don’t-!” was all you could demand before an egg was practically launched at Gohan, knocking his glasses to the floor, and coating half his face in yolk. You gazed at him in shock, but ready to laugh all the same. Before you could even crack a smile, you were hit just the same with a rather painful hit.

        As Cell howled in laughter and probably said some rude things, you were too busy in a surge of vengeance, looking for anything within reach to fire back. It was then your eyes locked with a sack of flour on the counter. Perfect.

        With all your light-hearted strength and fury, you grabbed it by the corners and went to whack it against him as if it were a pillow. Cell’s eyes widened a little at your attack, and reached to grip your arm, but it was all too late. White powder cloaked the air around the two of you, and you were sent into a fit of coughs.

        As the air cleared, both of you from the chest up were completely engulfed in powder. Cell still had his grip on your arm, and seemed too furiously shocked to let go yet. Hell, his eyes were practically twitching. You went to laugh at his angry face, but started to sneeze, causing his front to crack a little, a small smirk creasing itself on his face.

        “Hey Cell!” Gohan declared, snapping both of your attentions. In an instant, the cart of eggs in Cell’s grip were snatched away and now in possession of Gohan. He grinned, wiping the yolk from his face and glasses, and threatened to launch a few eggs at the both of you. Stopping himself, he turned to face Hercule, who was rather taken aback by the entire ordeal.

        “Wanna get in on this too, Mr. Satan?” Gohan invited, offering him to take a couple.

        “I, uh, um…?!” he stammered. “It does look mighty fun, b-but…”

        “Don’t worry, I’ll be on your team! We’ll be unstoppable!” he encouraged.

        With a small smile, he seemed rather excited, and nodded.

        With a nervous, yet unapologetic beam on his face, he took an offensive stance beside Gohan, and prepared himself for the battle.

        You and Cell glanced at each other, rather perplexed by the turn of events. You for one were pleasantly surprised to see your boss willing to challenge Cell again, despite the far less serious matter of conflict. Cell just seemed eager for a fight either way.

        “(Y/n), I suppose we must temporarily ally ourselves against another battle” Cell sneered, taking his own stance beside you. You grinned and nodded. Quickly, you went for the fridge to get another cart of eggs, and returned to Cell’s side, mimicking his stance.

        “You guys should just give up now before we totally pummel you!” you playfully threatened.

        Gohan smirked. “Try your luck if you think you have what it takes!”

        “The nerve to challenge, I, the legendary Mr. Satan, is one that cannot be forgiven!” Hercule beamed cheerfully, all of his confidence in the fight to come coursing through him.

        Armed with eggs and the willpower to claim victory, the most intense battle of your life thus far began.

 

        Sitting on the floor, leaned up against the counter, you were panting in exhaustion. Your entire body was a painted mess of egg and flour, and you were far beyond your limit to continue fighting. Even your own boss was left in the dust of Gohan and Cell’s feud, and was left to discontinue himself. Even so, he seemed very happy to have been a part, and watched on in awe as the other two continued to duke it out.

        The supply of eggs was hardly enough to keep up with their lightspeed throws and maneuvers, and it had devolved into a light-hearted punching match. Despite the minimal animosity of the fight, Cell wasn’t afraid to get too rough, and go for jarring swings against Gohan, getting a good blow into his stomach.

        Gohan would be quick to recover and swing for Cell’s head, making it launch in the direction of the force in a rather gut-wrenching way. Regardless, he seemed completely unphased afterwards, and continued his fight.

        Eventually, both of them had had enough of each other, and called it a match. It was rather surprising to see how calm the two were towards one another, given the rough history. To say the least, it was kind of pleasant to see the change in everyone’s demeanor today, and it brought a smile to your face.

        Until, reality set in.

        “What… the hell is this?” Piccolo questioned from the doorway, completely stunned by the condition of not only all of you, but the wreck of the kitchen. As fate would have it, eggs adorned the walls and all of the appliances, along with flour coating anything and everything in white powder.

        Nobody could even reply to Piccolo, as you couldn’t help but burst out into laughter, your boss was struggling to find the right words to say, Cell outright refused to say anything out what you could best guess was a hint of embarrassment, and Gohan rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

        “Gohan, why on Earth are you having a food fight when there should be a cake made for your daughter’s birthday?” he questioned, seeming rather unamused by everything.

        “Oh, Piccolo, don’t worry, we still have plenty of time to make a cake for Pan!” he chuckled.

        Piccolo narrowed his eyes and scanned the kitchen again. “Do you still have plenty of ingredients?”

        “Ehh…?” Gohan trailed off, noticing for himself the carnage that primarily he and Cell caused. “Yeah, probably not…”

        “Well, whatever. I suppose you could just buy a cake instead, anyways. Videl sent me to check on you guys, so I guess I can at least report you’re all still alive” Piccolo retorted with a slight chuckle.

        “I can get a cake” you offered. “This entire food fight broke out because of me, and I was suppose to make the cake in the first place, so it’s only fair.”

        Gohan blinked at you rather surprised. “But, you didn’t start the fight, it was-”

        “Cell, you’re gonna come with me. Go clean yourself up, would you?” you interjected.

        Cell glared at you, caught off guard by being told what to do like that. He crossed his arms, and raised a brow. “And why would I come with you?”

        “Oh, don’t pretend like you’re not going to anyways. I can’t leave the house anymore without playing 20 questions or letting you tag along!” you teased.

        Cell widened his eyes a little at your accusation, but after some hesitation, he sulked out of the kitchen, avoiding eye contact from the rest of the group.

        Gohan was rather surprised by this behavior, and turned to you. “Has he really been like that now?” he asked.

        “Like what?”

        “Like… you know… uh, attached?”

        You nervously chuckled, and quickly tried to dismiss the notion. “Oh, uh, I don’t think he’s attached or anything, he just gets bored pretty easily, and I guess finds me amusing to a degree?”

        Piccolo shook his head, and Gohan seemed suspicious of your response. “Is that what you really think, (y/n)?” he questioned.

        “What else is there to think?” you asked back.

        The room fell silent and awkward. Thankfully, Mr. Satan was quick to react to such a situation.

        “Well, (y/n), how about you go get cleaned up and get that cake on my dime, alright? Us three can handle a little kitchen clean up!” he insisted, offering a kind smile.

        You nodded and smiled back. “Alright then, we won’t take too long! Thanks a lot!”

        Getting up, you rushed for the shower. Piccolo, Gohan, and Hercule scanned over the room, realizing that it wasn’t going to be an easy task cleaning.

        “This isn’t my mess to clean” Piccolo huffed. “Good luck you guys, see you when the party starts.” With that, he was gone, and Gohan and Hercule stared blankly at each for a moment, before hustling to clean.

 

        In a short span of time, you were already one your way home with a fresh cake from the bakery and a Cell in his yellow sweater and grey sweats. They had become his staple out-of-the-house attire, because they were his only attire.

        “Hmm, we should go clothes shopping for you sometime. It’s gonna get boring wearing the only thing over and over pretty soon” you suggested.

        “That won’t be necessary” he quickly snapped. “This alone is degrading. The last thing I need is more to ruin my perfect form with.”

        You rolled your eyes. “Say what you will, but yellow is totally your color. I’d say you look pretty good in clothes.”

        “Hmmph” he grunted, shifting his gaze elsewhere.

        “So, you looking forward to seeing anyone in particular at this party?” you asked.

        He gave you a rather dumbfounded glance. “Why would I be optimistic about seeing old enemies? Let alone all of them in one room?”

        “Pssh, surely there’s someone that you’re at least  _ wanting _ to see, right?”

        He stared on blankly, shuffling through the thoughts in his head. “I... I suppose I’m curious about meeting Goku again. I’ve heard word of a new form that’s on par to that of a God, and that certainly intrigues me. Seeing what’s become of the androids is somewhat interesting, too.”

        You gave a soft smile. “You care about them?”

        “Oh, of course not” he stated apathetically. “It’s just the last time I saw them, well, they were quite literally apart of me. It’ll be sort of like deja vu in a way, being in this form with them existing separately.”

        “What do you mean?”

        He glanced down to you, and gave a small smirk. “It’s quite amusing how little you truly know about me. Not my actions, but who I truly am, and who I was. Yet, here you are, blissfully unaware and oh so trusting.”

        You raised a brow. “Can you connect the dots for me, then? I guess I’m missing something pretty big here.”

        “Tsk tsk, if only I had the heart to tell you such a story” he teased. “But, in all seriousness, you’ll learn the truth some day, but not today. I wouldn’t want you to get all bothered on a special day like someone’s birthday and ruin your fun.”

        You sighed. “Fine, but speaking of, what’re you gonna do at the party anyway? You’re not exactly a social butterfly, let alone for a group of people that you’re kind of frenemies with.”

        “I’ll probably just push a few buttons, see who’s temper I can set off first. I’m betting… Vegeta” he chuckled.

        “I’m betting you” you retorted with a giggle. His gaze turned sharply to you.

        “I don’t have a short temper” he snapped.

        All it took was a raise of your brow, and he crossed his arms and pouted the rest of the walk home.

 

        With the kitchen cleaned, and a cake ready to go, all you had left to do was to wait for the guests to show up. Decorations had been set up as well; balloons, streams, and a large banner that adorned the living room, reading “Happy Birthday Pan!”

        This toddler’s birthday party could only be a complete cakewalk!

        Oh, who were you kidding? You absolutely knew that things were going to get awkward, intense, and perhaps even violent. If only you had bought some popcorn during your trip out for the storm you knew was coming.


	16. Roller-coaster of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a longer chapter since I'm awful at updates now, sory ^^

        Before you knew it, you were involved in probably the largest birthday party ever thrown for a toddler. Lots of people attended, many of them vaguely familiar from the group photo, but a few who were completely foreign to you. That wasn’t to say almost all of them weren’t strange and unique in their own ways.

        Videl sat on the couch with little Pan in her lap, Gohan threatening to tickle her. An older woman named Chi-Chi dressed in a traditional Chinese attire sat beside him, laughing at their adorable interaction. You presumed her to be his mother, given their somewhat similar features. Piccolo leaned in from over the back of the couch, smiling down at them.

        Vegeta had shown up, but it seemed against his own free will. He sulked with his arms cross, a blue-haired woman with a baby in her arms leading the way. The lavender-haired boy from the marketplace was by her side as well, holding gifts for the birthday girl.

        A few other faces you couldn’t name yet were having pleasant, casual conversations with one another. Everything seemed pretty tame for the time being. Calm before the storm, you figured.

        “Well, hey there! You must be the girl keeping Cell all chummy!” a voice addressed you, and you turned to face a man with long, black hair, and a couple notable scars on his face. A small, blue cat-like creature floated by his side, giving you a curious, fascinated look.

        You chuckled lightly. “I mean, I suppose that’s true, haha! So, who are you two?” you asked.

        The man gave a slight smirk to his little companion, before giving you a proud smile. “The name’s Yamcha! And this little guy is Puar!” he introduced. The catlike creature floated around you excitedly, taking in the sight of you.

        “Wow it’s so impressive you beat Cell! You must be crazy strong!” it adored, it’s tiny high-pitch voice almost too cute for you to handle.

        You laughed at the claim Puar suggested, and made effort to correct them. “No, no, I’m definitely not stro-!”

        “Oh, don’t kid yourself!” Yamcha encouraged, before leaning down to whisper in your ear. “Don’t tell anyone this, but I’m still not strong enough to take him on…  _ yet. _ ”

        You blinked at him curiously. “So, that’s why it’s super impressive someone like you could do it!” he chanted again, pulling away from your ear. “Even Goku struggled to keep up with him back in the day, and Gohan, too! We thought we were finished, and here you are just completely dominating-!” he paused mid sentence, his eyes drifted past your shoulder, and soon enough pretty high above you.

        The cold resonance of him crossing his arms, towering behind you was telltale enough for you to realize what was going on. Puar quickly hid themself behind Yamcha, fearfully peaking over his shoulder.

        “Well, well, well, (y/n), filling in our dear friend Yamcha about the situation we’re in I see?” Cell spoke. You rolled your eyes and turned to face him, putting your hands on your hips.

        “I’m definitely trying, why?” you asked.

        He smirked. “I couldn’t help but overhear something that didn’t quite meet my mental fact checking, and I’d certainly hate for false rumors to spread, hm?”

        Yamcha, much to Cell’s, Puar’s and your surprise, stepped between you two. “Don’t worry, this was totally my bad!” he chuckled nervously, and shot you a not so subtle wink. “I’m definitely sure Cell is a lot stronger than you, he just, uh, didn’t want to make you feel bad or something!”

        You shook your head smiling, and Cell gave an annoyed sigh. “Yamcha, why don’t you and your rat friend just, I don’t know, go bother one of your other annoying friends, huh?” Cell suggested bitterly.

        “Yeah, uh, sure okay! G-good talk, man!” Yamcha spoke, before taking this invitation to leave without further hesitation, Puar close behind him.

        You raised a brow and crossed your arms, glaring up at Cell. “What was that all about? Is someone jealous?” you teased.

        “Hmmph, jealous of  _ what _ ?” he retorted, giving a small smile.

        You rolled your eyes playfully, before giving him a gentle nudge. “Yeah, whatever.” Admittedly, you were just joking along, but truthfully, there was a lot of behavior from him that you were picking up on. Almost everywhere you went, he wanted to come with you. It didn’t matter if it was on the other side of town, or just in the other room. He was there. If he ever wanted to train now, you didn’t have much choice but to participate, or at least be there.

        You still remembered the night on the pier with him, and that feeling that went through your body when you locked eyes for a sweet, terrifying yet euphoric moment. You were positive he felt it, too. At least, that’s what his eyes told you. He still never spoke of it, and tended to dodge any topic regarding it. He acted like he wanted to forget it ever happened, and since he did, you tried, too. But, how could you? It still haunted you, and festered in the back of your mind when you were near him. You wondered if maybe the same thing was happening for him?

 

        “Time for cake!” called Videl. Everyone began to file into the dining room, seating themselves at the rather large table. Gohan, Videl, and your boss passed around plates and silverware to everyone. Cell was probably the biggest fish out of water at the table, his face visibly curious while simultaneously disgusted by the festivities. You and Gohan sat on either side of him, which was probably for the better. However, across from you was a very, very annoyed Vegeta. He seemed downright furious with Cell’s participation, his arms crossed and eyes like daggers at him. Thankfully, Cell was too enraptured by observing everything to have even noticed or cared.

        “Ugh, I hope your father gets here, soon! There’s no way he could miss this!” Gohan’s mother declared, visibly upset by this infamous ‘Goku’s’ lack of appearance.

        “Don’t worry, Mom! He should be here any moment! He wouldn’t miss this for the world, no matter how forgetful he can be sometimes!” Gohan consoled, fastening a bib to Pan as she eagerly babbled gibberish.

        “Oh, I sure hope so” she groaned, but gave a gentle smile to her playful granddaughter, giggling occasionally at her actions.

        You smiled and glanced to Cell, who seemed pretty perturbed by the interactions of Gohan’s family. Giving a playful chuckle, you lightly nudged him. “You alright?” you whispered.

        He blinked at you, snapping out of his disgusted daze. “I’m fine, it’s just… I’m not exactly sure if I’m being completely honest” he mumbled lowly, glaring back at the others. A small smile creased his face suddenly. “I do agree that Goku should get here rather soon, something entertaining for me needs to happen before I keel over from boredom.”

        You rolled your eyes, but a sudden thud alerted everyone towards the source; Chi-Chi. She stood, having slammed her hands on the table and had Cell in a deadlock in her gaze.

        “Oh, absolutely not! You’re  _ not _ going to fight my husband on his granddaughter’s birthday! He’s going to sit here and enjoy the company of his family and friends as he should!” she boldly declared.

        Everyone sheepishly blinked at her, and Cell scoffed, searching for something to retort with. “Well, I didn’t exactly  _ say _ I planned on fighting him now did I?” he countered almost childishly, crossing his arms.

        “Wait, who’s not fighting who?” a new voice questioned, and you were rather stunned to see a man in an orange gi with black, spiky hair. A good portion of everyone greeted him with delight and excitement, and it was pretty easy to clue in who this was. Wait, where did he come from? How did he just-?

        “Woah, even Cell is here?!” he announced rather pleasantly stunned, staring at the bug in the room. “I didn’t think birthday parties for little kids was your thing, haha!”

        Cell clenched his teeth. “They’re  _ not _ !” he spat. “I’m only here because I live here now apparently!”

        Goku then noticed you and gave a curious brow raise. “Wait, hold on. So you’re the one who defeated him?” he asked. The room fell quiet, and everyone with the exception of you and Cell seemed rather concerned.

        “Don’t be so dense! She did not-!” Cell snapped and stood. He cut himself short when Goku approached and completely went past him for you. Cell turned with fury and confusion as Goku inspected you, taking your arms and examining them without much say from you.

        “That’s strange, you don’t look very strong?” he questioned, before letting loose of your arms.

        “Dad, she’s not-!” Gohan tried to intervene, but was quickly interrupted.

        “Oh, wait a minute, I get it! I’ve been meeting a lot of folk who don’t look strong but actually are! That’s what’s happening right here, huh? You’re hiding all that power of yours!” he laughed.

        You gave a small, anxious smile. “I- uh, I didn’t-!”

        “You should totally spar with me! It’ll be fun!” he declared.

        “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” roared Vegeta, Cell, and Chi-Chi in unison. 

        Goku blinked at the three of them in dazed confusion. “Aw, why not you guys? It’s just a friendly match, it won’t take long!” he pleaded. You yourself were rather frightened of the opportunity, just his mere muscle mass intimidated you.

        “No. NO. NO!” they roared again. It was a debate going absolutely nowhere, but you started to think about it yourself as they argued. You had been training with Cell for a while now, so maybe this wouldn’t hurt? Of course, this wouldn’t happen now, but maybe it could be arranged?

        Ready to put in your own two cents, you spoke, but with 4 people with such obnoxiously thunderous voices, it was kinda hard for your voice to break through. You sighed, and tapped Goku’s shoulder, breaking him from the verbal war he was waging in the kindest of mannerisms. This prompted Vegeta, Cell, and Chi-Chi to silence and glare at you.

        “I accept your challenge, but it has to wait after the party, okay?” you compromised.

        All jaws hit the floor, and a lot of muttering filled the room.

        “N-no offense, (Y/n), but I don’t think that’s really a good idea!” a short man with 6 dots on his forehead chimed in.

        “You’ve got some deathwish, don’t you?” his blonde wife with eyes of ice interjected with contempt.

        Your decision was poorly received by the masses, as your ears were swarmed with people trying to dissuade you from taking him on. All you could do was shrug and chuckle nervously.

        “Come on guys, don’t make her feel bad for having guts! If she loses then at least she tried, right?” Goku spoke, trying to calm the situation.

        “The two of you aren’t fighting, and that is that!” Cell stated, crossing his arms and glaring down at him.

        “Look, just because women are your weakness doesn’t mean they’re mine!” Goku argued, earning the reaction you would about expect from Cell.

        “What the hell did you just say?!” he snapped, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. “I’ll take you on  _ myself _ if you continue to run your mouth with such nonsensical prattle!”

        “I mean, I guess we could fight, too, but-”

        “Okay. Enough. All of you” Vegeta’s wife announced, “We’re eating cake now, and we’re not going to talk about that stuff anymore, got it?” she boldly asserted, silencing Goku, who perked up at the information.

        “Oh! I almost forgot to say!” he recalled, before approaching Pan in her highchair, her little hands excitedly reaching for him. “Happy birthday, Pan!” he playfully congratulated, ruffling her hair. She giggled happily, and cheered for his presence, repeatedly yelling ‘Gramps!’

        Honestly, it was the cutest thing, and you couldn’t help but smile at the endearing relationship Goku had with his grandchild. In your peripheral, you noticed Cell giving you an unimpressed glare.

        “Don’t tell me you’re enjoying this?” he muttered quietly.

        You raised a brow. “What do you mean? It’s really sweet to see a family all together. What’s wrong with that?”

        “Tch, if it were any other family, I suppose I wouldn’t despise it as much. All those years ago, I fought Goku and Gohan with every intent to finish them off along with this planet. Now look at me, at the child of Gohan’s birthday party… it’s pathetic” he spat quietly, before closing his eyes and giving a small sigh. “I guess it’s just strange to see things differently than how they would’ve been had I had my way.”

        You curiously blinked, before offering a smile. “Well, sometimes things don’t always have to be your way for them to be okay. You’re alive and well, and maybe that’s all you really need.”

        He rolled his eyes, but seemed to genuinely consider your words for a moment, before a piece of cake was placed on his plate before him. Your piece followed suit shortly after his. He looked at it curiously, raising his brow.

        “It’s just cake, you goof” you chuckled, taking a piece on your fork and eating it. He watched you eat for a moment, before frowning and glaring back down to his slice. 

        Taking a fork, he ate a small bite and seemed very unsure of how to feel about it. “It’s… it’s alright I guess…” he muttered, and as quickly as the cake was there, it was gone. You couldn’t help but giggle.

        “Just, alright? You practically ate it whole!” you laughed.

        “And? I don’t see what that has to do with anything?” he teased, leaning back and crossing his arms with a smile.

        “Whatever” you chuckled, and continued eating, the both of you silently listening to others conversations, finding opportunities to contribute, and generally finding joy and peace in one another’s company with the occasional light-hearted banter.

 

        Everyone was saying their goodbyes and leaving as the evening progressed. Most of them were very pleasant in your company, though you knew a couple weren’t your biggest fans. Of course, Vegeta being one, but additionally the blonde, stoic wife of the shorter man. Her icy blue eyes would certainly haunt you, what with their soul-piercing abilities they possessed.

        Almost every guest had left, they only few remaining being Videl, Pan, Gohan, and his family. Chi-chi was carrying a sugar-crashed Goten, Videl was carrying a sleepy Pan, and Gohan and Goku were having small talk as they prepared to leave. Just before they all left, Goku noticed you and approached with a smile.

        “Gohan told me the real story behind everything between you and Cell, so if you don’t wanna fight me, you don’t have to. But, I’d still take you on if you were up for it!” he beamed.

        You chuckled. “Well, Cell’s been training me, so maybe you could join us sometime?”

        A sharp no was your answer from Cell, but truly, you didn’t believe this would hinder the free spirit that was Goku. The two of you silently laughed, before Goku walked away.

        “Oh, one more thing!” he pointed out, stopping in his tracks and turning to you. “You and Cell make a cute pair!” he giggled, before leaving. Your cheeks turned red as a nervous smile creased your face. Gohan gave a small wink at you, before heading off as well.

        “Tch-! How dare-!” Cell began, but gave a quiet growl instead, a light tint of pink dusting his frustrated face. He glared at them as they left, deciding for whatever reason not to follow through whatever curse he planned to bestow upon them. Instead, he just closed the door and grunted, gave you a small glance, and headed upstairs.

        You sighed and gripped your arm. It was certainly one way to make things awkward now that everyone was gone. If it was that obvious to someone like Goku that there clearly was something going on, it probably needed to be addressed.

  
  
  


        Before you was your own bedroom door, shut and locked. You rolled your eyes and knocked, mentally cursing the childish antics at play.

        “Go away” he coldly demanded from inside.

        “Come on, this is  _ my  _ room. Let me in, please?”

        Silence.

        “Please?” you begged.

        After a moment, he finally came to the door, opening it with a look of disdain. Allowing you inside, he closed the door behind you, and stood there, his arms crossed and facing away from you.

        Sitting on the bed, you raised a brow at his odd behavior. “Is, uh, everything okay?”

        “Mhm.”

        You rubbed your arm awkwardly, deciding that now was probably as good a time as any to have the conversation that you both probably knew was due.

        “Can we talk?” you asked quietly.

        “About?”

        “...us?”

        He was silent for a moment. “What about us?” he apathetically retorted.

        You gave a heavy sigh, “Are you really going to make me say it? Everyone sees that there’s…  _ something  _ going on between us. You can’t tell me you don’t see it, too.”

        He turned to face you with eyes you couldn’t quite read, and that in itself terrified you. Though, his silent gaze only urged you to press the matter further.

        “We’re in each other’s company constantly, we fight and make up in our own little ways, I don’t know if you’re cuddling on anyone else, but I know you’re definitely doing it with me when I’m asleep. I don’t know, I guess our chemistry is just super obvious to everyone around us, and I think it’s time we decided what to do about it.”

        He remained silent, giving a small grimace to the incentive he would dare cuddle, but never said a word.

        You frowned a little. “Come on, Cell, say something? Anything?”

        “What’s there to say? There’s nothing between us.”

        The coldness of his words cut pretty deep, and you couldn’t help but feel rather defensive. “Are you serious? Why are you trying to pretend to be oblivious to it all?”

        “I’m not designed for companionship, nor do I have interest in the sort. I’m perfectly fine being my own entity without having to share feelings for some… lower being” he retorted.

        “First of all, ouch, that wasn’t necessary. Secondly, whatever it was you were designed for, clearly that hasn’t really worked out either, huh?” you scoffed. If he was going to take jabs at you for no reason, you felt obligated to return the favor.

        His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. “It would be in your best interest to shut your mouth!” he spat.

        “Then give me a real reason!” you demanded, standing up to him. “I know you feel something, or else this talk wouldn’t be happening! Stop playing dumb and please just tell me why you can’t say it?!”

        He glared you down, that faint pink dusting his cheeks again. He seemed rather surprised by your stance against him in such a matter, but he quickly showed defiance again. “I don’t have to explain a thing to you!” he roared. “How I feel should be of no concern to you!”

        “But it is! And you know it! Or else you wouldn’t vent to me about all the little things. But, you do! You tell me how strange it is to be around a world you planned to destroy, you tell me all the petty things you have against everyone, and you always,  _ always _ , keep me up late at night to nitpick every little bump in the night! And you know what? I love it! I love every little thing you do! I’m constantly in adoration of the way you over analyze every mundane thing, how you critique your clothes you wear when you go out shopping with me, and…” you were losing your breath, and you paused, remembering a critical moment.

        “That night on the pier, when we shared a moment. I felt it, and you did, too. I  _ know _ you felt it. I  _ saw _ you feel it!” you panted, gazing up with a wavering smile. Your heart was beating a mile a minute. Tears were pricking at your eyes and you had no idea why. They ached to stream, but you refused in this here in now as you had a stand to take.

        “Cell, I love you, and if you really believe you don’t feel it, then fine. I won’t bother you anymore about it, and I’ll ignore everyone who sees what I see, okay?” you compromised, taking in breaths as you tried to recollect yourself.

        “...You finished yet?” he questioned apathetically.

        Your smile began to quiver away, your heart sinking slowly in your chest. Feeling purely defeated and void of hope, you gave a somber nod and drifted your gaze downward.

        “Good. Now, I’d say it’s time to call it a day. If you don’t mind, I’m going to sleep.”

        With that, he walked past you and onto your bed, continuing into his routine as if you just hadn’t poured your heart out to him. Still, you stood there, completely shattered and made a fool of and unsure of what next. You’d never been rejected like this before, and damn did it hurt. Glancing over your shoulder at him, you decided you’d rather not sleep in the same bed as him.

        You crept downstairs in the living room to meet your boss and Buu watching a movie, Bee and Pokey curled up at the edges of the couch. Taking a seat by your cat, you relaxed and got comfortable, watching with them.

        “Everything okay there, (y/n)?” Hercule questioned, noticing your distant expression.

        “Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m alright, I’m just gonna camp out here for the night” you yawned.

        “Oh, well, alright then” he replied quietly, a little concerned and confused, but unwilling to press the matter more than you were clearly up for.

 

        Eventually the movie ended, and you were alone on the couch, save for the animals. You felt so strangely empty, a painful kind of empty. It was pretty strange, and made it rather hard to really fall asleep. You could feel so vacant, but your mind feel so bloated. At last, however, you drifted asleep.

        You didn’t expect things to turn out this way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rather a bitter way to leave things, huh? Funny enough I almost wrote the chapter with a happier "love is reconciled" ending, but decided against it. I don't feel like the romantic relationship is earned quite yet, and would be a little rush if I made it finally happen. Sorry if this upsets anyone, but to be fair, just because a man is perfect doesn't mean the road to love will be. ;)


	17. Scripts And Stones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are getting a little better now... hopefully <3

        The next day, things were painfully awkward and silent between you and Cell now, and you couldn’t stand it. Though he still trained with you, he had no desire to interact or speak with you outside of that, and it sucked big time. You weren’t as focused and energized as you were prior to last night, and Cell made short work of kicking you around before he got bored himself.

        “You’re making this hardly interesting for me” he lowly spoke. “Perhaps… we should take a break for today, hm?”

        “Yeah… sure” you quietly accepted, and the two of you were whisked away back home. He didn’t pull you close anymore when he used Instant Transmission, he simply rested a tense hand on your shoulder before using his technique.

        Arriving home, you were surprised to see your boss rushing to find you before you could even enter the house. “(Y/n)! You know this Jax kid?” he asked. Cell crossed his arms and glared off.

        “I, uh, yeah? They were a college friend, why?”

        “He just called me with a brilliant movie idea! Picture this!: The Great Saiyaman vs. Mr. Satan II! But this time, there’s a twist! They have to team up to defeat a greater, mysterious threat!” he explained eagerly, waiting for you to take a guess.

        “Uh… who’s the big, mystery threat?”

        “Why, none of other than your big bug friend right here!” he chuckled nervously, gesturing to Cell. “Of course, only if you’d want to. Otherwise I can just get another actor to play the part of you!”

        Cell crossed his arms and raised his brow. “You’re wanting me to take part in film, huh? That seems like a rather dull use of my time” he criticized coldly. “Also,  _ Great Saiyaman _ ? What the hell is even that?”

        Hercule gave an anxious smile. “Well, funny you should ask that! It’s Gohan! But, neither of you heard that from me, okay? It’s kind of his alter ego he does on the side, like a superhero of sorts!”

        “Just when I thought the boy couldn’t get even more pathetic…” Cell trailed off. “Wait a minute, so you’re saying I’d have the opportunity to fight him should I star in this?” he inquired, a devious thought manifesting itself in the form of a small sneer.

        “Well, yeah, but it’s not  _ real  _ fighting, it’s just acting” Hercule elaborated. “Anyway, I think this would be good move for my career, too! Letting youngsters like that Jax kid take a shot a writing scripts for the big screen sounds pretty cool! Plus, his idea is pretty big, and big movies sell seats to theaters!” he laughed.

        You couldn’t help but crack a small smile. “I think that would be fun for everybody, I know Jax would definitely appreciate it. I don’t know what all he knows about the film industry, but I think a push in the right direction from you would be wonderful for him!”

        “I wouldn’t lead anyone astray with my guidance!” Hercule gleefully boasted, proudly placing his hands on his hips.

        “Awesome! So, uh, did you guys figure out when this stuff would start, or?” you trailed off, hoping to gain more details about this potential movie.

        Hercule gave a hearty chuckle. “Well, the kid wanted me to review his script and make any minor adjustments that could make it stand out even more than my prior films. But, there’s hardly a thing here for me to change or fix! Kid’s done his homework and watched enough of my  movies to get me written down to a T!”

        “And me?” Cell couldn’t resist but inquire, unsurprisingly curious about his representation in the script.

        You rolled your eyes. “Let me guess, narcissistic and temperamental as all hell?” you teased, a little additional salt to your flavor. Admittedly, you were kind of mad at the guy for rejecting you after all those mixed signals. If you had already reached the extent of your relationship with him as it would go, you might as well make the most of it..

        “Tch!” he scoffed, crossing his arms and glaring you down. “Shut the hell up!”

        You crossed your arms and stuck your tongue out at him, his eye twitching in slight annoyance. Hercule blinked for a moment, not sure whether to say anything at this point.

        “Well?!” Cell demanded harshly towards him. “What am I like?!”

        “Oh, uh, right!” Hercule stammered. “You’re gonna be the villain that’s so powerful and evil, that it brings the likes of The Great Saiyaman and Mr. Satan to form an alliance and take you on.”

        “And the results of that battle?”

        Hercule hesitated to respond. “...Well, uh, you’re defeated after a long, exhausting fight.”

        Cell’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t work for me.”

        “Please remember it’s only acting! It’s not like you’re  _ really _ being defeated, it’s just, uh, pretend!” Hercule explained.

        “Whether or not the fight is real or pretend, I will  _ not  _ lose to Gohan again. If you cast someone to mimic me and get beaten, there will be hell to pay!” he threatened, his towering figure looming over a nervous Hercule.

        “B-But-! I…!” Hercule couldn’t find anything to persuade Cell otherwise, and gave a quick, defeated nod.

        “Oh, grow up” you retorted under your breath, frowning at Cell.

        You became his target again, as he turned and glared at you. “Pardon me?” he coldly asked.

        “I said grow up!” you yelled. Now was as good a time as any to blow up on him. “You’re being such a child over petty things like being ‘defeated’ for the sake of a movie. Yeah, I get you’ve got some little grudge against Gohan for kicking your ass a long time ago, but that was the past. Get over it and move on!”

        Cell marched right up to you, his fists clenched, and an intimidating surge of energy electrifying the minimal space between the two of you. A scare tactic that you weren’t going to back down from. You put your hands on your hips and locked eyes with him, a mental stand off of sorts.

        To your surprise, the energy was disappearing gradually. His front was faltering and you didn’t really know why. Regardless, you remained cold and silent, continuing to stand against him.

        “Tch, this is ridiculous!” he spat, before launching to the skies, the ground shaking beneath your feet for a brief moment. You were rather impressed by yourself, but more concerned for him. Usually he’d have some sort of stupid banter with you, but instead, he’d rather distance himself.

        You sighed, and glanced to your boss, momentarily forgetting he was even here to begin with. “Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry about what all he said to you. Really, you shouldn’t change the story just because he doesn’t like it. I’m sure he’ll get over it  _ eventually _ ” you stated, trying to ease the tension.

        “Actually, he’s given me a brilliant idea!” Hercule replied eagerly, catching you off guard.

        “Oh, how’s that?”

        “Well, it is kind of predictable to have a villain be defeated. Not that it’s a bad thing by any means, it’s a classic ending to these kinda movies. What if, he joined us at the end?! Like a sort of cool anti-hero guy?” His face lit up even more. “That leaves so many doors open for so many sequels!” he exclaimed, grabbing your shoulders and gleefully shaking you for a moment.

        “Just picture it! Mr. Satan, The Great Saiyaman, and… Cell!” he exclaimed. “We’ll have to rework Cell’s name a little so the title flows nicely!”

        You gave a small giggle. “That’s not a bad idea! I think it would work wonderfully!” Honestly, this was probably the better idea, as it managed to compromise things in such a way that Cell wouldn’t be ‘defeated’, and Hercule would be even more excited to pursue this film and it’s potential sequels.

        Maybe, this could even help to bond Cell a little more to Gohan and Hercule? Now that would be a beautiful miracle to behold.

  
  
  


        Heading into your room, you relaxed on your bed and pulled out your phone, looking for Jax among your list of recent messages. Finding him, you let him know the brilliant idea Hercule had for the script, opting to leave out the details that lead him to such a conclusion. Jax responded rather quickly, seeming very enthralled by the idea, and playfully jealous that he didn't think of that concept first.

        You smiled at your phone a little, before putting it down. Staring at the ceiling, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes. Rarely were you given time to really think about the things that were going on around you. Living with a celebrity and a plump pink creature, being rejected by a tall bug man, and now being acquainted to some seriously skilled warriors. It’s not exactly the life you had in mind, but honestly, it wasn’t terrible. Sure, it sucks that the guy you have feelings for didn’t feel the same way, despite his mixed signals, but you could get over it eventually.

        Well, eventually would be a long time from now, you figured. Right now, the pain of his rejection still stung, and you couldn’t deny that. You gave a small sigh, a pang of hurt resonating through you. Why did things like this have to take such a heavy toll?

        Suddenly, speaking of the devil, that person in your thoughts opened your door, seeming rather surprised to see you. Cell remained quiet as he closed the door behind him, and reclined in the same bed as you, the sheer size of him forcing you to be shoved aside.

        “Excuse you?” you teased lowly.

        He remained quiet, avoiding eye contact with you. Raising a brow, you then decided to try and make room for yourself by force. You tried to push him aside, but it was to no avail. This wasn’t uncommon, but with him openly rejecting your feelings, you had a small bone to pick with him getting in your personal space like this. Crossing your arms, you frowned down at him.

        “What’s your deal?” you asked.

        “I don’t know” he quickly replied coldly, with a hint of genuine confusion.

        You blinked. “Are you okay?”

        He didn’t respond.

        “You can tell me. Even if you are the biggest, and maybe rudest weirdo on Earth, I won’t judge you or anything” you reassured, hoping to at the very least, be supportive towards him. Even if maybe he didn’t really deserve it right now.

        Still no response.

        “...Look if it has anything to do with-”

        “No, it’s nothing to do with that” he immediately interjected, as if trying to dodge that topic entirely. He gave a small sigh, before finally looking to you. “What the hell is going on?”

        You blinked. “I, uh, I don’t know?”

        “Something’s wrong with me, and I just…” he hesitated for a moment. “I don’t understand it.”

        “You seem the same to me; your arrogant, snappy self” you chuckled lightly.

        He looked away again, before closing his eyes and sighing again. Suddenly, out from under your bed, Pokey crawled and gave a small stretch. The cat jumped onto the bed, sitting and purring, staring at the two of you. Cell glanced at him for a moment, before disregarding him entirely. Pokey, having come around to the fact that Cell is indeed a member of the household in some form or fashion, no longer feared his presence. Much to your surprise, your cat was now casually strutting towards the bug man, sitting in his lap and kneading.

        “(Y/n), get this vermin off me right now” Cell bitterly snapped, turning his nose up at the feline.

        You laughed, “Why? He’s just showing you affection is all.”

        “It’s annoying.”

        “Tch, whatever” you scoffed playfully, taking the cat from his lap and placing him in yours. “Is he just a big, bad bully?” you baby-talked your cat.

        Cell raised a brow at you. “What the hell is that?”

        “What?”

        “That god-awful voice you’re doing. It’s even worse than when you imitate me” he sneered.

        You gave a smirk. “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and I am after all, perfect!” you retorted, doing the exact impersonation he referred to.

        “Oh brother…” he groaned, giving you the cold shoulder.

        “No, don’t ignore me!” you continued with your ‘Cell voice’, leaning against his shoulder. “How could you ignore a being as amazing as I?”

        He remained silent and kept his gaze away, visibly withholding a smile as he tried to lean away from you. This only encouraged you more.

        “Look at me! Look at my dashing spots, and these elegant wings of mine! Truly they are one of a kind, unique to such a wonderful individual like me.”

        Finally, he had had a enough of your teasing, and with speed you could barely react to, he rolled over on top of you, sending Pokey scurrying away. Straddling above you, he pinned your wrists to either side of your head. You blinked in surprise.

        “Enough, alright?” he scolded.

        You tried to avoid eye contact with him, the situation you found yourself hitting reality like a brick to the face. Your cheeks were starting to heat up a bit. “Jeez, buy my dinner first” you chuckled quietly, hoping to alleviate the tensity you personally had.

        He blinked at you, a little confused at first, before realizing all too quickly as well. “Oh, shut up!” he huffed, releasing his grip, and sitting back. To your surprise, he was anxiously rubbing his face in cupped hands, stressing out in a manner you’ve never seen.

        “Are you… _ sure _ you’re okay?” you asked quietly.

        When he didn’t immediately reply, you reached out slowly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Seriously, talk to me, okay? What’s going on?”

        He glared up to you, and his eyes widened a little in some sort of revelation. Of course, you wouldn’t get to know it, and he quickly changed his expression to his typical, apathetic frown.

        “I’m perfectly fine, just… things on my mind I’d rather not speak of” he replied lowly.

        You sighed. “Well, please tell me sometime, okay? I know you’re not someone that likes to talk about feelings and stuff like that, but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t say anything to me at all.”

        He stared at you silently. “Maybe sometime, I might, but, no promises.”

        “Alright, I guess that’s fair. Just at least remember, I’m here for you, okay? Even if you don’t feel the way I thought you did, that doesn’t matter to me. No matter what, I’m here for you.”

        He gave a small sigh, and under his breath, and you swear you faintly heard him whisper “sorry.” You weren’t certain of it, but you weren’t going to push the matter right now. Instead, you leaned forward and gave him a hug.

        Despite the fact that he was cynical, arrogant, and downright rude, he was still a very close friend to you. He deserved some kind of support when clearly he was struggling with something, even if he didn’t want to tell you. Your hug wasn’t returned, as he sat there quietly, but, he seemed to relax a little bit, whatever tension he had built up melting away. It was enough for you to give a small smile, and pull away.

        He still frowned at you, but you gave a more cheery smile. “If it’s alright with you, maybe we could train?”

        He raised a brow. “Oh? After that subpar display earlier, you’re ready to try again?”

        “Yeah, well, I think I can do better now. And, uh…” you hesitated, because you knew exactly what it would entail, but you decided you were willing. For him.

        “...I think I’m ready to try and learn to fly.”

        A small grin he couldn’t restrain creased his face. “Well, well, well. After all this time, you think you’re up for it,huh?”

        You gave a confirming nod.

        “Very well, then! Let’s hop to it!” he declared boldly, shuffling off your bed and to his feet with newfound excitement. 

        It made you happy to see him happy again, and you followed suit with a smile. It was rather nice to see that familiar glow of confidence that naturally resonated from him. It seemed almost… tarnished for a while, in a way you didn’t really know how else to explain. Either way, his newfound skip to his step was nice to see, even if it was only because he had full reign to torment and tease you in the skies again.

        That’s just the price you paid for hanging around a guy like him.

**Author's Note:**

> AHHH I posted it, I did it. I hope you guys liked it <3


End file.
